I 

'bs'"' hand book 

Dopy 1 

ON 

THE SOW 

Queen of Farm Animals 




„„j 



PRACTICAL SCIENTIFIC TALK 

On How to Double Profits on Hogs 

Evolution in Brood Sow 

Feeding, Worth Millions 

to U. S. Farmers 

James Baynes, Editor American Swineherd 



COPYRIGHT 1919 BY JAMES BAYNES 



GESTATION TABLE FOR SOWS. 

PERIOD OF GESTATION, 113 DAYS. 



Time o 


f 


Due to 




Time of 


Due to 




Service 




Farrow 




Service 


Farrow 




January 


1 


April 


22 


July 3 


October 


23 


u 


4 


a 


25 


6 


u 


26 


(> 


7 


u 


28 


9 


« 


29 


t 


10 


May 


1 


12 


November 1 


a 


13 


(( 


4 


15 


(I 


4 


u 


16 


u 


7 


18 


a 


7 


a 


19 


u 


10 


21 


u 


10 


u 


22 


u 


13 


24 


'■ 


13 


u 


25 


u 


16 


27 


« 


16 


a 


28 


u 


19 


30 


(1 


19 


u 


31 


u 


22 


August 2 


u 


22 


February 


3 


u 


25 


" 5 


a 


25 


(( 


6 


<l 


28 


8 


(I 


28 


a 


9 


u 


31 


11 


December 


1 


u 


12 


June 


3 


14 


(( 


4 


(! 


15 


(( 


6 


17 


« 


7 


a 


18 


« 


9 


20 


II 


10 


u 


21 


(< 


12 


23 


II 


13 


u 


24 


a 


15 


" 26 


" 


16 


u 


27 


u 


18 


29 


" 


19 


March 


2 


u 


22 


September 1 


II 


22 


« 


5 


a 


25 


4 




25 


(1 


8 


a 


28 


7 


<f 


2S 


a 


11 


July 


1 


10 


« 


31 


u 


14 


u 


4 


13 


January 


3 


ti 


17 


u 


7 


16 


11 





u 


20 


u 


10 


19 


II 


9 


u 


23 


a 


13 


22 


" 


12 


It 


26 


u 


16 


25 


11 


15 


u 


29 


u 


19 


28 


11 


18 


April 


1 


" 


22 


October 1 


u 


21 


u 


4 


(( 


25 


4 


II 


24 


u 


7 


„ 


28 


7 


u 


27 


a 


10 


" 


31 


« 10 


u 


30 


u 


13 


Aug. 


3 


13 


February 


2 


u 


16 


« 


6 


" 16 


« 


5 


a 


19 


(( 


9 


19 


(1 


8 


u 


22 


ti 


12 


22 


II 


11 


u 


25 


u 


15 


25 


11 


11 


u 


28 


u 


18 


28 


" 


17 


May 


1 


u 


21 


31 


II 


20 


« 


4 


u 


24 


November 3 


■( 


23 


(( 


7 


u 


27 


« 6 


(I 


25 


« 


10 


ti 


30 


9 


March 


1 


u 


13 


September 2| 


12 


II 


4 


u 


16 


« 


5 


" 15 


tt 


7 


a 


19 


u 


8 


« 18 


II 


10 


u 


22 


u 


11 


21 


II 


13 


u 


25 


u 


14 


24 


" 


16 


a 


28 


u 


17 


« 27 


II 


19 


a 


31 


u 


20 


« 30 


II 


22 


June 


3 


u 


23 


December 3 


(1 


25 


a 


G 


u 


26 


6 


« 


28 


a 


9 


u 


29 


« 9 


« 


31 


a 


12 


October 


2 


12 


April 


3 


u 


15 


a 


5 


15 


« 


6 


u 


18 


u 


8 


18 


U 


9 


a 


21 


u 


11 


21 


(1 


12 


u 


24 


u 


14 


24 


U 


15 


a 


27 


u 


17 


« 27 


u 


18 


u 


30 


u 


20 


30 


a 


21 



MAR 24 1919 

©CI.A5137(i7 



Era of Improvement in Hog Business 



Most every farmer raises hogs, as one branch 
of his farm operation ; 80 per cent of them, Prof. 
Dietrich of the Government Experiment Station 
says, waste one-fourth of their feed given to hogs, 
because they do not fully understand the feed 
question, or its importance in producing the greatest 
gain in the quickest time, at the least cost. It is 
not what the hog eats, but what he digests and 
assimilates, which are the proper proportions needed 
for maintenance and building the body by construct- 
ing bone and flesh. 'Ihese requirements are correctly 
supplied by what is called the balanced ration. Two 
good feeds when combined are improved over either 
separate. Bread and butter is pretty good for man ; 
butter alone would be unbalanced. As feed is about 
90 per cent of the cost of producing pork, its im- 
portance is apparent. 

When the cost of feed was on the basis of 18c 
corn per bushel and farm lands worth one-third 
their present price, it did not require the farmer 
to have the knowledge or give the consideration 
or attention to improved methods to secure a profit, 
which today are necessary under the changed con- 
ditions and prices. 

The successful hog raisers have perfected a prac- 
tical system of thoroughly tried out plans, that 
have given greatest profits, which are only on a 
par with the ent&rprise and wisdom of other up- 
to-date business undertakings. 

Scientific success in the hog business is readily 
attainable by any farmer who will equip himself 
with the knowledge of the practical methods of 
these successful farmers by careful reading of this 
book. The farmer who fails to post himself on 
the best proved plans for greatest profits in the 
hog business will be seriously handicapped under 
present new conditions of the times. This reading 
will prove interesting as well as instructive to all 
who have any interest in hogs and the more suc- 
cessful they are the better they will enjoy it. The 
man who will study this line of thought is following 
the course of nature, furnishing seed for new 
thoughts, which grow and blossom into wisdom, 
which is real life, growth and progress. 

The best results are attainable where each line 
is specialized and the experience from this concen- 
trated thought and effort produces a costly, ripe 
wisdom which is free to the readers of this book. 



The Brood Sow— The Mortgage Lifter 

The brood sow is one of the most valuable ani- 
mals on the farm ; she is seldom given the full 
credit that she deserves. If she is a good, prolific 
sow and is properly fed and cared for, no other 
farm animal can match her as a money-maker. She 
is the true mortgage lifter. 

It is often claimed that the boar is half the herd; 
but without the assistance of the sow, he is a 
failure. 

The annual increase of swine is from 500 to 1,000 
per cent, with the possibility of doubling this, while 
that of cattle, sheep and horses are from 60 to 100 
per cent. It therefore makes a difference whether 
the sow produces from 8 to 10 pigs twice a year, 
or only 3 to 5 twice a year, or perhaps 6 once 
a year. This thows the importance of selection, 
with proper management in breeding, feeding and 
caring for the sow. It is a simple business propo- 
sition to designate the profitable sow. 

The brood sow is kept for profit ; unlike the cow 
she cannot be used in a dairy, nor like a sheep 
with wool for shearing, nor is she used as a horse; 
her profit is wholly in her production of young. 
Raising pigs being her chief work, the manage- 
ment and care of hor, to enable her to produce the 
largest number of well developed pigs, is strictly 
essential. 

True, there is an inherited quality so far as pro- 
lificacy is concerned. An unprolific sow is un- 
profitable compared with one that will produce 
large litters. This is a trait similar to a cow that 
will produce 14 pounds of butter a week while 
another one can scarcely make five. It is an in- 
herent characteristic, transferable to her young, that 
must be bred into her and maintained; but even 
with this natural qualification to produce large 
litters, much depends upon getting this service from 
her by the method of handling, feeding and caring 
for her to meet with the best success. 

This work is intended to give to the readers 
the best experience of the most successful, practical 
breeders and feeders of the hog. This experience 
has been attained by them with years of efforts, at 
heavy expense in searching and testing out, then 
dropping and avoiding the errors of wrong feed- 
ing, handling or caring for the brood sow. The 
readers hereof, therefore get the benefit of this 
proven ripe experience and can step at once into 
this complete success without cost to them of either 
money or time, which must prove highly valuable 
to them. 

2 



Prolificacy 

The scientific plan of feeding and handling swine 
for greater profit will compel the herdsman to 
prune his herd of every unprolific sow, that is 
unable to give returns to compare with the profitable 
prolific sow. The unprofitable sow should be fed and 
consigned to the pork market so that she will not be 
bringing into existence a strain of inferior small 
litter breeders. 

We sometimes hear a breeder state in praise of 
his boar that he is a getter of large litters, which 
adds to his value. This is a mistaken idea, as the 
sow controls the number of the litter, or the foun- 
dation for the litter, in the embryo for the fetus of 
the future pig. The boar should be strong enough 
in vitality to be able to impregnate each embryo 
for the future litter; this is as far as he can go 
in determining the number in the litter. If the 
sow only presents or has three embryo germs for 
impregnation, the male cannot increase the num- 
ber. The only condition where he can influence 
the number in the litter, is where his vitality is not 
strong enough to enable him to impregnate all of 
the embryo contained by the sow. This makes the 
selection of the sow a matter of first importance. 

There is no certain outward indication for judg- 
ing the prolificacy of a sow prior to a trial. True, 
there are some points that are favorable and are 
always sought by the ones selecting the sow who 
have had experience in this line. We want a sow 
that is going to be a good milker, as the early, 
rapid growth of the pigs depends upon this natural 
supply very greatly, and it makes quite a difiference 
in their start if the mother is a good milker. We 
want a sow that is broad and roomy, long with 
good individuality, one that will make a large brood 
sow and a motherly looking animal. The sow 
should have at least ten perfect teats or more, with 
less than this number she should be discarded. The 
sow that makes no show of udder is seldom a good 
milker and should be rejected. She should be 
selected from a large litter, coming from a strain 
that has had a record for producing large litters 
regularly. 

A very successful breeder who has made a spe- 
cialty of breeding up a strain of prolific sows averag- 
ing 8 to 10 to the litter in a large herd of sows, 
gives as his version of the small litters that prevail 
sometimes among farmers. He believes they are 
caused by their selection in paying no attention to 
their dam's prolificacy. 

3 



Because of the fact of a sow having three pigs 
in her litter it is more than likely that she will 
get them started better, pushed stronger, by con- 
centrating all of her milk to the three, thus having 
an advantage over the sow with ten, dividing hers 
between her larger litter. The farmer does not 
register his animals or keep track of the litters as 
a breeder does, therefore when the farmer comes 
to pick out his sows for his brood animals, he looks 
for the best individuals regardless of the fact that 
they may be out of small litters ; as it is quite 
likely that they will continue to keep up their first 
push to the front with extra growth and be of extra 
size at the time of their selection; taking her from 
among the gilts in this way, they have brought about 
a strain of hogs that often fail to produce half 
enough pigs, thus proving the reproduction of an 
inherent characteristic. This is neglect or care- 
lessness in the selection, that might easily and readily 
occur because of the prominent growth given to 
the small litters individually. 

This kind of selection should be guarded against 
and extra pains taken in picking out a sow that 
was from a big litter of a prolific strain. We have 
breeders of all breeds who make a specialty of pro- 
lificacy, and are very successful. 

There is a point, which to go beyond, is as damag- 
ing as the small litter. How big a litter is most 
desirable? There is a difference in sows. With 
some sows eight is a large enough litter, while with 
other sows ten have all been good pigs and suckled 
to weaning time safely. Over this number it is 
not ordinarily safe to go. The strain on the sow 
with litters of 13 to 18 might occasionally be met, 
but we would much prefer to have the strength 
and efforts of the sow concentrated in a litter of 
8 or 10 for greatest success and profit. 

The condition of the sow, as well as the feeding, 
has its influence to a certain extent and much more 
with some sows than others. 

For instance, sows that have been highly fitted for 
the shows are many times put in such a condition 
from their overfeeding and high flesh that they fail 
to breed. Experienced showmen always reduce the 
show sow in flesh immediately after the show and 
before attempting to breed her. But even the 
most successful and longest experienced are very 
frequently unable to have the sow breed and bring 
forth a litter after being highly fitted. 

A herd of sows that are fed almost exclusively 
on a corn diet, are more or less subject to farrow 

4 



smaller litters than the same animals do when fed 
upon a better balanced ration, by cutting out most 
of the corn. It not only influences the number of 
the litter, but the size and vitality of the pigs are 
unfavorably affected by the corn diet. 

On the other hand, a highly protein feed balanc- 
ing the ration with alfalfa and clover hay during 
the winter season when they cannot reach the pas- 
ture, is found to be one of the greatest aids. This 
feed fosters good size litters of strong constitution, 
of large pigs ; as one breeder states that they seem to 
be a week old at farrowing time, so great is the 
difference. This clover or alfalfa hay can be fed 
either as a ground feed in a slop, or run through 
the cutting box and cooked in a heater, or fed 
as raw hay where it is properly cured. They will 
eat it with the greatest of relish. 

Also oats and barley ground together make an 
especially choice feed for both the brood sow and 
the growing pigs. The feeding of the brood sow 
while she is carrying her farrow contemplates the 
feeding of the unfarrowed litter, which must have 
its growth from the proper feed essentials to con- 
tribute to the best results. Elsewhere in this book 
will be shown proper plans of feeding these various 
ingredients. 

Every hog raiser should condemn to the pork 
market every sow that fails to farrow a good sized 
litter, unless through some fault outside of her 
inherited qualities. The sharp weeding out and 
feeding for the pork market is the aggressive method 
for improving and maintaining the full complement 
litter. This plan is enlisting more breeders and 
feeders continuously with satisfactory results. 

The sow that farrows from three to five pigs twice 
a year, in some instances only once, costs nearly 
as much to maintain as the sow that produces ten 
pigs twice a year showing the extra profit in the 
latter, both in the amount of money invested and 
the cost of maintaining. 

There are some sows that, although not so large 
nor as desirable as the best, give good results in 
the size of the litter and in raising them, because 
of the good milking qualities, something on the 
order of the Jersey cow, as milkers, which shows 
up in the good growth of the pig. 

A good standard for everyone in selecting their 
brood sow is to get an animal that will mature 
into a 600-lb. sow or over, in fair flesh. There are 



sows that go to 800 pounds and over but they are 
not very plentiful. She should have plenty of 
quality with her size to give her the easy feeding 
characteristic that counts on the profitable side. 

A very successful breeder states that he selects 
always from a prolific family and not too chunky 
type, but one of good length without coarseness, 
one that has a motherly look and is of a quiet dis- 
position. Size with finish is the object desired and 
one should never be carried away with a pretty little 
dumpling. Be careful not to get one too loose and 
rangy in appearance, without good spring of ribs. 
The back should be arched a trifle, and have good 
width and continue arched when in farrow. The 
good mother carries with her good suckling qualities. 
He is opposed to making a severe cross of opposites. 

He wants her to be broad between the eyes, with 
smooth coat, as "like produces like." The sow that 
is not too coarse is usually a mellow, easy feeding 
kind, one that you can depend upon her pigs being 
easy feeders. A yearling sow last year raised him 
a litter of eight pigs and she tipped the beam at 
535 pounds upon weaning them and will mature 
into a 750-pound sow. She was one of the easy 
feeding kind. 

It pays to retain year after year a good, large, 
motherly sow that has proven herself a reliable 
breeder, that can be depended upon to produce a 
big litter of good sized pigs regularly and raise 
them well with quick growth and early development. 

The sow of this character improves with experi- 
ence each year, at least until six or seven years old. 
She is usually worth two untried sows. A nervous, 
restless sow is undesirable, as she is so liable to 
trample upon her young pigs and kill them before 
they are able to take care of themselves. 

Another virtue possessed by a sow of this kind 
is the fact that she has no difficulty in farrowing 
her litter, while a small or narrow bodied sow 
risks the life of her pigs and herself with each 
farrow. 

Every hog raiser should qualify himself if not 
fully posted, with the best up-to-date knowledge to 
enable him to select correctly. Also to be able to 
handle, care and feed her in the best manner to 
attain the greatest success and largest profit from 
her, the same as a man in any other business or 
profession would expect to undergo. 
6 



Handling Sow After Breeding 

The natural condition of the sow has proven 
always the proper one to maintain. This is shown 
repeatedly by the bad results happening when it 
is overlooked. The sow needs all of the pure air 
that she can get ; in good weather when there is 
sunshine she should have full access to both. 
F'urthermore she needs exercise every day that the 
weather is suitable. Some of our best breeders 
practice turning their hogs out in the field and let- 
ting them roam over it if they have been properly 
fed ; it gives them good exercise and a good oppor- 
tunity to breathe pure air. Some breeders turn them 
into the cornstalk field and after picking up what 
pasture and overlooked corn they find, which they 
seem to appreciate searching for, they return to their 
feed lots and houses for the regular feed, shelter 
and beds for the night. This sunshine and exercise 
has a beneficial influence on the un farrowed litter. 

After the sows are bred they should be fed a 
little stronger, which should be gradually increased, 
care being taken that the feed is a well balanced 
one; but little corn should be given. Oats and 
barley ground together and fed in a slop, or bran 
and middlings made into a slop, with clover or 
alfalfa hay, either ground or as hay, is an appro- 
priate feed for the brood sow. 

During the cold weather the feed should be cooked 
or heated. The benefit of this is seen in both the 
growing pigs and brood sows. They show a real 
enjoyment for hot feed, whereas a cold feed in bit- 
ter weather is hurriedly eaten by them and when 
through they rush to their pens or sleeping places 
shivering, with their backs up, showing at least 
no pleasure or comfort in eating. 

Of course there are days when the weather is 
stormy and disagreeable that it is better for them 
to be in their shelters than outside. But the value 
of exercise has been so thoroughly established as 
an essential that it must be looked after if you 
want the best results. 

Another point to always keep in view is the con- 
dition of the bowels of the sow. If she becomes 
constipated she will be out of condition quickly 
and liable to take disease, or get into worse condi- 
tion continuously if it is not relieved at once. For 
this purpose a little oil cake meal, or tankage, or 
cracklings, given twice a week, is an excellent plan 
of correcting the bowel trouble, and maintaining a 
proper condition of the stomach for best results. 

7 



This will prevent costiveness, which is always better 
than having to cure it. Constipation is the beginning 
of two-thirds of all diseases of men and animals. 
When the bowels are in right condition the body 
is fortified against disease. 

It is the hog's nature to root in the ground, both 
for roots and worms, and it is provided therefore 
with a rooter. This natural desire can be satisfied 
in the winter season by feeding them tubers such 
as beets, rutabagas and the small, culled potatoes 
usually fed cooked. There may not be much feed 
value in them, but they help keep the bowels in 
proper condition for digesting other food. 

While the sow should not be overfed at any time, 
which can be determined by her cleaning up her 
feed each meal, at the same time she should have 
sufficient so that she will not hunger or be driven 
to search for food to maintain herself, although 
moderate action to search for food after more than 
maintenance supply, is good for her. 

The sow, when carrying her farrow, requires not 
only the ordinary maintenance food for herself, 
but must have sufficient in addition to produce the 
best growth for the unfarrowed litter. A failure in 
the sufficiency of the proper feed or imperfect feed 
is sure to have its influence on the coming litter, 
which will be shown in runts among the same. 

It is desired that the sow should be so fed and 
handled that she will keep improving and gaining 
a little flesh continuously from the time that she 
is bred up to the time that she farrows her litter. 

The brood sow's work is to produce the coming 
litter and therefore everything should be done that 
will be helpful to her in producing a large, strong 
constitutioned, healthy, well developed litter. Her 
condition and her feed has its direct influence in the 
realization of the best results to the coming litter. 

The two best feeds for producing exceptionally 
large, fine, well developed litters of pigs are alfalfa 
or clover hay, and oats. Parties who have fed 
these feeds largely, with the addition of a small 
grain ration, have kept their sows in the best natu- 
ral condition and have raised the largest, finest, 
strongest, well developed litters. 

Every hog raiser has to take into consideration 
the feeds that are accessible to him. Those that 
are grown upon the farm are first in importance, 
but it will pay any breeder or feeder to buy alfalfa 
hay or meal if he has not raised it upon the farm 
or has no clover hay as a substitute. 



This character of feeding with plenty of exercise 
and sunshine and pure water brings them down to 
the date of farrowing in the proper shape. 

A few days before farrowing time successful hog 
men decrease the feed and supply something laxa- 
tive so that the bowels will be in an easy condition 
as helpful to an easy farrowing. 

If the sow farrows in the summer season she 
makes her nest out of doors and the first you are 
aware of her new family, she comes in with her 
litter and the exercise they get keeps them in the 
proper condition to take good care of themselves 
and avoid thumps. 

But if it is cold weather care must be taken that 
the little pigs as farrowed, should have a basket 
with a hot brick wrapped up in blankets so that 
they are dried and placed around the brick; in a 
short time they are put to the sow and nature shows 
them what to do. The sow is only given warm 
water with bran sprinkled in it for the first twenty- 
four hours, then feeding commences slowly so as 
not to force the milk faster than it can be taken 
by the little pigs. If there is more milk than they 
can suckle, the udder is liable to become congested 
and what is known as caked udder occurs, and be- 
sides an injury to the sow, the milk is bad for the 
pigs and starts them to scouring, or it may, if 
caked, prevent them from getting any milk and they 
may starve, before you notice them, if not watched. 

As the pigs grow, more feed should be given to 
the sow to sustain her and to produce the milk 
needed by the pigs, for it is a heavy drain upon her. 
The pigs should be allowed to follow the sow as 
soon as they are old enough to run around and 
the weather suitable, compelling them to take exer- 
cise in this way, thus avoiding thumps. 

The readers of this book are respectfully re- 
ferred and recommended to carefully study the in- 
structive articles from the practical and success- 
ful breeders who have accomplished success be- 
cause of their knowledge and practice. 

The man who will consider carefully these meth- 
ods and plans adopted by these men who reached 
the topmost round of success in their efforts can 
make it the reader's work, by thorough study and, 
absorbing the instructive directions, and in due 
course meet with the same successful results. 

Overfeeding' the Sow 

Frequently parties buy a sow and are extremely 
anxious that she should make a great success and 
therefore do everything for her to help her accom- 
plish this. 

9 



In other words they are overdoing it. They over- 
feed her, keep her too close in her pen and are too 
apt to make a hot-house plant out of her. While 
she should be well fed, she should not be overfed; 
although she should be housed from the storms 
and provided with good, warm sleeping quarters, 
she needs the exercise, the air and the hustling that 
give her vigor and strength. In their desire to 
have her do well, they have by their overfeeding 
and extra precautions rendered it impossible for her 
to do so. 

Bone-Making Feed 

The brood sow requires an extra amount of bone- 
making feed. She needs this for her young that 
she is growing and developing. The lack of it not 
only is an injury to the growing litter, but a damage 
to the sow herself and an aid in bringing on paraly- 
sis of the loins. 

Frequently a litter when farrowed are deficient 
in bone. Some lacking in some parts, often the 
head. This should be avoided by giving good bone- 
making material for the sow while developing her 
litter, both before and after farrowing. 

By consulting the table you will find the feeds 
that have the ash in them strong, are the bone- 
making, viz. : wood ashes, charred corn cobs, lime 
and bone meal are concentrated bone-making ma- 
terial. Wood ashes and charred corn cobs are 
always to be had. Look up your table of digestive 
nutriments in feeds in this book so as to regulate 
your feed to the brood sow. 

The Balanced Ration 

Balancing the ration is combining the feeds that 
will furnish the proper ingredients in the right pro- 
portions to nourish and develop all parts of the 
body of the animal without an excess of either 
portion which would be wasted. 

Taking into consideration the results you desire 
to obtain, a properly balanced ration is one that 
will furnish these results. With young pigs or grow- 
ing hogs it is necessary to have a bone builder and 
muscle former predominant; and for this reason 
corn, which has a smaller proportion of protein and 
a larger proportion of carbohydrates is not a good 
feed alone to grow muscle and produce bone for 
pigs or shoats. 

A feeder asks, how shall we balance the ration? 
This depends somewhat on each particular person 

10 



and his resources. For instance, the dairyman who 
has separator or skimmed milk, has a balance for 
corn or corn meal that is first class. It has proved 
best results when fed on the ratio of 3 to 5 pounds 
of milk to 1 pound of corn meal ; that is, the best 
gains for the food consumed resulting from this pro- 
portion of the two ingredients. Buttermilk and 
whey are combined in the same proportions as 
skimmed milk. 

One of the cheapest balancers of a grain ration 
is grass, alfalfa and clover being the two best of the 
grass feeds. Furthermore they can be used during 
the winter time through properly cured hay, which 
may be fed or run through a cutter first or ground 
into a meal and mixed into a swill. For best re- 
sults a moderate quantity of grain should accom- 
pany the grass feed to bring about the proper bal- 
ance. Of course you are required to take into con- 
sideration the size and demands of the animals that 
you are feeding to regulate the proportions. 

As corn is rich in carbohydrates or fat forming 
ingredients and deficient in protein, one of the best 
grain balancers is wheat middlings, while shorts, 
rye, barley, peas or ground oats will also furnish a 
balance for the corn ration because of their rich- 
ness in protein. 

Some feeders use an equal amount of middlings 
with the corn ration, that is, half the ration is 
middlings and the other half corn. Some use one- 
third middlings and two-thirds corn. Others use 
two-thirds middlings and one-third corn; then again 
this is varied, feeding one preparation for a time, 
and then changing to the other. In balancing the 
ration with potatoes, beets, carrots or mangels, 
five pounds of these are fed to the one pound 
of corn meal. The feeder will have to use dis- 
cretion and judgment as to quantity and propor- 
tion. Study the tables and it will be found that 
this combination feed will result beneficially both 
to the growing animals and the feeder. 

It is shown that the younger the pigs or shotes are, 
the larger the proportion of protein should be. 
Begin with, say three-fourths middlings and one- 
fourth corn, then as they grow older change to 
two-thirds middlings and one-third corn and when 
you come to the fattening period you can use corn 
wholly. 

Gluten meal, blood meal and digester tankage 
have a very high percentage of protein and are used 
with profit. 

11 



As a bone builder pigs should have access to 
wood ashes, charcoal, charred cobs or bran and 
thus round out the balance requirements. 

But few farmers realize the immense importance 
to them of clover or alfalfa upon their farm. Pigs 
should have a moderate feed of grain according to 
the size and demand of the animal with all the 
grass they will eat. Two proper feeds combined in 
right proportion of balance, increase the beneficial 
results over either separately. 

Each feeder is compelled to take into considera- 
tion the feeds produced upon his farm as being 
the cheapest ordinarily, as there is no freight or 
transportation charges against them and the feeder 
gets his own profit from the feed produced. 

It is difficult therefore to make an exact stated 
ration, as each one will have to study from his 
standpoint a combination, to get the proper pro- 
portions of protein, carbohydrates, and succulence; 
then take into consideration the age and condition 
of the animal, whether growth is desired, or fat 
producing only, then regulate the same by studying 
the tables for the proportions of the ingredients of 
each feed as shown in this book. 

The exercise of reasoning and studying by the 
feeder on these tables and on results desired, will 
be found beneficial to every feeder who will be sur- 
prised himself at the advantages that he will derive 
from this class by careful consideration. 

For instance, you have to consider not only the 
proportions of the ingredients fed, but their cost, 
as you are running a business to make it a success 
and the cheaper the feed, if it is of the right charac- 
ter, the greater the profit. Therefore, we unhesitat- 
ingly recommend a careful reading of the methods 
and systems used by the able breeders and feeders 
who have articles in this book showing how they 
have reached success and are therefore good ex- 
amples to pattern after. 

The Marvelous Alfalfa 

The hog raisers of the corn belt 20 years ago 
were unacquainted with the value of alfalfa as a 
swine feed, nor was it scarcely known that alfalfa 
could be grown east of the Rocky Mountains at 
that time; but today it flourishes in localities all 
over the United States. Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, 
Indiana, Ohio, Nebraska, Kansas and the real corn 
belt portions of the United States are growing 
alfalfa in various localities. 
12 



Clover has long held prominence as the best for- 
age plant for swine ; but is compelled now to take 
second place as it is preceded by alfalfa. Pas- 
ture plant growth has been the surest method of 
cheapening hog feed during the growing season and 
it is but recentl}' that alfalfa and clover hay cut 
at the proper time and cured properly have been 
found to produce as beneficial results in the winter 
season as the grasses during the growing season. 
The cured hay shows the following digestible nutri- 
ents in 100 lbs.; Alfalfa, 11.7 lbs. of protein, 40 lbs. 
carbohydrates and 1 lb. of fat. This is one-third 
more than clover in protein and a little more of 
carbohydrates and a little less fat and it places 
alfalfa hay almost the equal of wheat bran. 

Alfalfa can be used as a pasture in the growing 
season for the sow and young pigs or the older 
pigs and is one of the cheapest feeds that can be 
supplied. As a sow feed during the winter season, 
fed either as hay or run through a feed cutter and 
then cooked, or ground by a mill into meal and 
fed in a slop, it is unequalled. It is one ingredient 
of the brood sow's ration that has proved of great 
value in keeping the sow in just the right con- 
dition of maintenance, and growing and develop- 
ing the unfarrowed litter for the healthiest, strong- 
est constitutioned pigs when farrowed. They are 
frequently reported as appearing a week old when 
farrowed compared with those that are fed a corn 
diet, and they continue this growth after farrow- 
ing when the sow is supplied with alfalfa feed right 
along. This makes alfalfa one of the most desira- 
ble feeds for the brood sow's maintenance and best 
growth of a litter that can be used. It is the bal- 
ancer with a small grain ration that makes a cheap 
feed as well as a good feed which is the desirable 
point to make. 

Of course, where alfalfa is not to be had, though 
many buy it in the bale or in the meal for feed, 
clover hay will take its place though not of equal 
value. It is good and can be used to good advan- 
tage in cheapening the grain ration. 

Alfalfa is of inestimable value to the farmers of 
the corn belt, as well as of other portions of the 
United States and is growing and spreading over 
the country, as these facts become known and real- 
ized by the progressive farmers of our country. 

It was proven by the trials of matured sows 
thin in flesh, that they would gain a half pound daily 
on alfalfa pasture without any grain. A well set 
vigorous field of alfalfa pasture will carry 15 to 25 
pigs per acre. The number should never be large 

13 



enough to pasture it down close, but should per- 
mit it to be of sufficient growth that the hay could 
be cut at intervals, so that the plant may be rejuve- 
nated thereby. 

It was shown by the Kansas Experiment Station 
that rape and alfalfa produced 100 pounds of gain 
with practically the same grain allowance, and 
either feed when combined with grain gave better 
results than grain alone. One acre of alfalfa 
proved equal to two acres of rape. 

Nebraska Station found that after sows weaned 
their pigs, they weighing 260 pounds and fed 8^ 
pounds of shelled corn each daily and grazing on 
alfalfa pasture, made 8 per cent larger gain than 
others fed 11 pounds of shelled corn daily in dry 
lots. A saving of 43 per cent in the amount of 
grain for 100 pounds of gain, due to the alfalfa 
pasture. 




A bunch of JVisconsin brood sonvs 
eating alfalfa hay 

Through the courtesy of the Wisconsin Agricul- 
tural University we publish this illustration from a 
photograph taken by them. Alfalfa is truly named 
by Prof. Moore of the Wisconsin University as the 
"Queen of Forage Plants." He states, "No other 
forage combines so many essentials of merit as 
alfalfa. No forage plant is more readily relished 
by farm animals, or exercises a more beneficial 
effect on the soil. Twenty-five thousand acres 
are now grown in the state of Wisconsin where 
twenty years ago it was almost an unknown plant." 
Ex-Governor Hoard of Hoard's Dairyman, was one 
of the first men to recognize the great importance 
of alfalfa as a forage plant for Wisconsin. 

14 



Brood sows are wintered on third cutting of al- 
falfa hay, with a little skimmed milk, and no grain 
at all, until about two weeks before farrowing. 
Sows so maintained keep in good fllesh, bear fine 
litters of strong, healthy pigs, and give an abundance 
of milk. The pigs are uniform, large, healthy, 
strong constitutioned and heavy boned ; as one 
breeder expressed it, they seemed to be ten days 
old at farrowing time, from sows that received 
this sort of feed. 

There is a difference in hay. It should be cut at 
a time when the leaves are supplied with the best 
strength of the plant before it has gone into the 
stems or seed. 

Danger Signals 

Constipation is one of the dangers that always 
threatens the herd and should be looked out for. 
Especially in the winter time when the feed is dry 
there is an inclination to become constipated. It 
does not take a costive animal long to get out of 
condition all over and ready to take on any disease 
around. It is the start that leads to so many 
troubles of the sow or pigs that it should be care- 
fully prevented. A little oil cake meal in the feed 
or if necessary, a dose of salts should be given to 
start them up if they have become constipated, but 
prevention is better than a cure. 

Where the alfalfa or clover hay is cut and cooked 
or soaked in hot water it usually furnishes a pre- 
ventive, just as the succulent grasses do in the 
growing season. 

Tankage or any oily matter is an aid to preven- 
tion. If you can't get oil cake meal, you can usu- 
ally get linseed oil, as a little of this in the feed 
will start up the bowels. 

Phosphate of lime is an essential feed very much 
needed by the brood sow carrying a litter or growing 
her pigs for bone building. We frequently have 
complaints of a sow farrowing a litter deficient in 
bone, not having had material enough in her feed 
to construct the bone for the growing pigs which 
then are virtually worthless. This can be supplied 
the sow in wood ashes, burned cobs, charcoal or 
bone meal or bran in the feed is an excellent bone 
builder. Consult the tables and use one of the 
articles of feed that gives them plenty of bone 
making material in ash and thus save the sow, 
improve the litter and prevent paralysis of the hind 
parts so often aflfecting the sow. 

15 



Compel exercise of the sow while she is in farrow. 
She should, every day when the weather permits, 
be out in the field where she can roam around, pick 
up feed of some kind and get the necessary exer- 
cise for herself and her growing pigs. It makes 
strong, healthy pigs to keep the sow in this condi- 
tion by plenty of exercise. 

Alfalfa or clover hay in the winter season fed to 
the brood sow is almost invaluable. Of course it is 
accompanied by a small grain ration but little corn 
should be given to the brood sow. We have had 
breeders and successful feeders inform us that 
when they first discovered that sows were fed on 
alfalfa hay alone, they could not believe the reports 
of the herdsman that they had received but little 
feed outside of this hay. The pigs were so much 
larger and growthier, with such strong constitutions 
that they imagined it was some secret plan of feed- 
ing that had been adopted. Through their curiosity 
and desire to become posted spied on the feeder 
and proved it true and adopted it with the same 
success themselves. 

Feed no rye either whole grain or ground to the 
brood sow carrying a litter for fear of her getting 
ergot, which is so prevalent in rye grain, more so 
than any other as it is sure to produce abortion. 

Be careful about forcing the flow of milk with 
the sow too soon before the little pigs are able 
to take care of it all. If the sow has too large a 
flow of milk and it is left in the udder it is liable 
to congest and cake and serious consequences re- 
sult, both to the sow and the pigs. Read carefully 
the instructions herein of the breeders. For the 
first two or three days the sow needs but very little 
feed, bran in water the first day only. 

If abortion that is contagious should get among 
the sows, they should be thoroughly disinfected and 
if at any time a sow aborts, the pigs and cleaning 
should all be carefully taken away as well as the 
sow from the balance of the herd and then thor- 
oughly disinfect the ground, flooring, bedding and 
the pens as well as the animals themselves to pre- 
vent the germ infecting the others. 

The sow that is inclined or has the unnatural 
desire to eat her pigs shows that she is out of 
condition, that there is a craving demand for this — 
that something has not been supplied that should 
have been. This is overcome by keeping the bowels 
free and furnishing cracklings or bone meal or 
tankage during pregnancy as a portion of the feed. 
If the desire is there, the only way to protect the 

16 



pigs is to take them and with a woolen flannel 
dipped in kerosene, rub it over the hair of the pigs 
without getting it on the skin and this usually pre- 
vents her from eating the pigs. 

Any sudden change of feed given the brood sow, 
suckling a litter, is liable to produce trouble with 
pigs; scours are often started this way. Make 
all changes gradually. 

Spoiled canned fruit given the sow is almost sure 
to be followed with diarrhea in the pigs and quick 
death if not checked. 

Meat Brine. — Salt in moderate quantities pro- 
motes digestion and the general health of the ani- 
mal ; but in too large quantities it deranges the 
stomach and bowels, causing the formation of gas 
in the stomach and bowels, diarrhea, vertigo, con- 
vulsions and paralysis and death in from 8 to 24 
hours. The mucous membrane of the stomach and 
bowels are found after death highly infected and 
inflamed, and in some cases the brain is congested. 

If a pig should get too much brine or salt in 
any form, it is best to give it an emetic. A table- 
spoonful of mustard stirred up in a half pint of 
warm water will answer the purpose. Then give 
two grains of opium in a little sweet oil or melted 
lard every two hours to relieve pain. If the animal 
is thirsty give it water in which has been put 
barley, slippery elm bark or gum arable. This will 
assist in relieving the pain and inflammation. If 
there is severe diarrhea, add five grains of acetate 
of lead to the opium. In paralysis give one tea- 
spoonful each of spirits of nitric ether and aromatic 
spirits of ammonia in half a glass of cold water 
every hour until better. If there should be consti- 
pation give two ounces of castor oil. 

Ofttimes the water from cooking or boiling 
salted ham, pork or beef made into slop, has taken 
off pigs ; and their owners were at a loss to account 
for their sudden death which is from the same cause 
as the meat brine. 

Bloat is caused from turning hogs into fresh 
clover for the first time, when the dew is on, 
and especially when they are hungry; they gorge 
themselves with the fresh clover or alfalfa. It 
forms, a gas in the stomach that in a few hours is 
fatal to the hogs. It is usually too late to supply 
a remedy. If you find them suffering, they should 
be run and made to jump over a bar or rail, so 
that when they come down suddenly on their fore 
feet, it expels the gas from their throats and re- 
lieves them. The better plan is prevention. Turn 

17 



your hogs into a clover field for the first time 
when the dew is off and after they have been fed a 
good feed at home of slop, so that they will eat 
but little ; leave them in pasture but a few hours 
the first day ; the second day this can be increased 
to double the length of time ; the third day another 
fourth added and on the fifth day they will be ac- 
customed to it and will not have any further trouble 
from the gas. 

Cockleburs when they first start up in the spring 
are relished by the pigs, liking the fresh plant ; but 
it carries a poison with it that will kill them. Be- 
sides when the seed bursts the sprouts lift up the old 
hull, the pigs in biting off the plant take this hull 
with it into their stomachs, and it forms into a hard 
ball that is indigestible and impassable through the 
bowels and causes quick death. It is necessary to 
keep them off of fields where cockleburs grew the 
previous year as they are sure to come up again. 

Cottonseed meal is an excellent feed for cows to 
produce milk and for fattening steers, but there is 
some quality that chemists have not been able to 
discover that makes it dangerous as a pig feed, 
where it is continued for several weeks at a time. 
Breeders and feeders throughout the country who 
have feed cottonseed meal for periods, were mysti- 
fied at sudden deaths of their animals. 

In some parts of Texas and the south they have 
found a plan of feeding it safely in swill, where it 
is left to stand twenty-four hours before feeding. 
They feed with safety in this manner and have done 
so in some herds which established the truth that 
it can be done. Northern feeders have not per- 
sisted in the use of cottonseed meal since it was de- 
termined injurious when fed in the ordinary way. 

Changing Feed 

Care should always be exercised in making a 
change of feed, as a sudden change of feed oft- 
times causes disorder of the bowels. It frequently 
brings on scours or dysentery that causes a loss 
of flesh and with the pigs suckling a sow, it is liable 
to produce scours that are quickly fatal if a remedy 
is not at once applied. 

Therefore we say be careful in making a change. 
It should be done gradually and not an abrupt 
change at once. By only making a partial change, 
increasing it each day, can it be accomplished with- 
out bad results. Some breeders make a practice of 
using the kitchen swill in feeding their sows. This 
should not be done when the sow is suckling a 

18 



litter, as there is too often canned fruits that are 
spoiled, or decayed vegetables which if given to the 
sow acts immediately upon the suckling litter and 
causes a deranged stomach, frequently resulting in 
scours or stomach troubles, which are either fatal 
or damagiiig to the growing litter. 

These sudden changes should be avoided and 
likewise the kitchen swill should not go to the sow 
that is raising a young litter. 

Sows Disowning Pigs 

At times the sow refuses to acknowledge her pigs. 
This is generally caused by the sow being out of 
condition. She has fever frequently caused by con- 
stipation which puts her out of sorts with herself 
and her litter. A well known breeder states his 
plan as follows : "In regard to a young sow not 
owning her pigs, I had a fine gilt that wholly re- 
fused to acknowledge her pigs. It made her furious 
to have them around. I took them away from her 
as fast as they came and when she was through 
let her rest an hour, then put the pigs to her. She 
got up and danced around and would have killed all 
the pigs in a short time. I took them away and 
nailed a two-by-four scantling across the pen, 15 
inches above the flooring, then with a cotton cord 
tied one front and one hind leg to it and brought 
her down on her side with her under legs tied. I 
put the pigs to her and she then showed signs of 
repentance. I kept her in this position most of the 
time for 36 hours, then tried her without and she 
behaved as nicely from that time on as any sow, 
and the pigs were as nice as ev^r on the place. I 
managed a similar case five years previous the same 
way with the same success. B. L. Gosick, Iowa." 

Comparison of Farm Animals 

Comparing swine with other farm animals we 
find the hog is favored. 

The annual increase of the horse, cow and sheep 
run from 60 to 100 per cent. 

While the annual increase of the hog is from 
500 to 1,000 per cent with a reasonable possibility of 
2,000 per cent. 

The sow brings forth her litter twice a year, 
while the other farm animals bring their foals, 
calves and lambs but once a year. This places the 
sow far in advance in per cent of increase over all 
other farm animals. 

19 



Dr. Warrington in "Chemistry on the Farm," 
states that of each 100 pounds of feed consumed, the 
gains are : For cattle, 9 pounds ; sheep, 11 pounds, 
and pigs, 23 pounds; or pigs make nearly two and a 
half times as much gain from a given amount of 
feed as cattle. This shows the great value of hogs, 
on the farm for profit to the farmer and for this 
reason the hog has been given the title of "rent 
payer and mortgage lifter." 

The hog can sell the farmer's corn, grain and 
grass through his stomach at a better price than 
any other animal on the farm. This makes the pig 
a desirable farm animal, not only because of the 
fact that he can convert more pounds of meat out 
of a given quantity of feed, but because he can 
be marketed quicker, than any other animal and as 
quickly as a crop of grain. The live stock farmer, 
therefore, builds up his farm instead of depriv- 
ing it of its fertility by selling the produce off the 
farm. 

Money in Water 

Water is a necessity for the health and growth 
of the pig. It is the cheapest essential ingredient 
that enters in building the growth or maintaining 
the pig. At the same time it is an easy conveyor 
of diseases if the water is impure, stagnant or 
filthy. This shows the necessity of having pure 
clean water for the benefit of the health of the 
pigs. An unhealthy pig is a loss from the start 
and everything should be done to prevent it from 
becoming diseased through every channel. 

A thirsty pig worrying for drink is a waste of 
energy, strength and flesh. Therefore they should 
be supplied with clean pure water all that they will 
naturally drink. Water is an aid to digestion and 
is helpful in every way, because of the large per 
cent of water in the make-up of the body of the 
animal. It helps the machine that transforms the 
different ingredients of feed into the new form of 
bone, muscle and blood. Water enters very large- 
ly into the gain of the growing and fattening hogs 
and since it is usually inexpensive compared with 
other ingredients in the make-up of the ho^ it should 
be supplied sufficient for all of its wants to increase 
the profits. 

Milk in Feed 

The sow's milk is a natural balanced ration. It 
contains double the solids of skimmed milk from the 
cow and 5J^ times as much as is found in sepa- 
rator milk. 

20 



The mineral and bone-growing elements will be 
one-fifth to one-sixth greater showing the neces- 
sity of securing a full supply of this kind of feed. 

The young sow must and does, when properly 
fed, provide in her milk a larger amount of dry 
matter for growth of her young than a dairy cow 
three times her weight. This shows the benefits 
for best results to extend the time of nursing to its 
full limit of 10 to 12 weeks. All should know 
therefore how and what to feed the sow in order to 
maintain her vigor and produce the quality and 
quantity of milk that will cause the greatest and 
best growth of the pigs. 

The milk of the sow is without exception the 
richest of all farm animals. 

In weaning pigs at the early age of 6 to 7 weeks 
care should be taken in supplanting nature with 
other animal milk, destitute of the elements above 
mentioned. You should commence to add daily 
for each pig about two ounces of finely ground 
grain, middlings with some boiled flaxseed to sup- 
plant the fat or oil cake meal, feeding them no 
more than they will eat up clean and leave them 
hungry for their next meal. It is best to feed 
three or four times a day and this process should 
be gradually adopted to introduce this feeding be- 
fore weaning them, as abrupt or sudden changes 
in feed are accompanied usually with bad results. 

After pigs have been fully weaned, give mid- 
dlings, ground grain and barley or oat meal at 
rate of one pound to four pounds of milk and one 
ounce of oil meal added per pig. 

It should be remembered that separator skimmed 
milk and buttermilk have only the water and casein 
left, being void of fat which acts as a heater and 
lubricator. 

When deprived of these, and milk is fed exclu- 
sively, as a rule constipation will ensue, which later 
will be followed by piles, paralysis or some trouble. 

Buttermilk should not be given in large quantities 
to a sow that is nursing pigs. It may affect her 
milk, causing it to curdle prematurely in the stom- 
ach of the young pigs, causing their death. If fed 
at all, the quantity should not exceed four pounds 
to a barrel of swill. If buttermilk from the cream- 
ery becomes an acid before it can be fed, better 
avoid feeding it. A four months old pig will do bet- 
ter and give best results if given four quarts of 
milk in 2 or 3 rations daily with the addition of 
the grain feed prescribed herein. 

21 



Do not stufif growing pigs with too much milk 
more than can be digested and assimilated as it 
causes dyspepsia. 

One of the good feeds or a large portion of the 
ration for the sow that is carrying the litter, or 
for the growing pigs, is alfalfa and clover meal pro- 
duced by grinding the hay. This is a bone grower, 
a filler and brings about most excellent results and 
is relished by the pigs. The sows can be fed either 
clover or alfalfa hay or hay run through a cutter 
and heated in hot water mixed with a little rheal 
feed. Ground oats is especially good as one of the 
grains, or it can be ground in the Duplex mill to a 
flour and fed in the mixture of milk or hot water to 
the little pigs perhaps better than any other way 
and is a most excellent feed as well as cheap. Read 
the articles from the successful, practical breeders in 
this book for further information on this line. 

Partial Paralysis of the Hind Legs 

This is a very common disease in sows, es- 
pecially in fine bred pigs. 

I have investigated this derangement and find 
it is caused by a want of sufficient phosphate of 
lime in the nerve system, especially the nerves sup- 
plying the hind legs. It is a known fact that the 
bones and nerves of pregnant animals are deficient 
in phosphate of lime on account of the drain on 
the system for phosphate to build up the foetus, and 
also to nourish the young after they are born. There 
seems to be more of a drain for phosphate on the 
system of the sow than any other female animal. 
The sow is more frequently afifected with partial 
paralysis a few weeks after farrowing, although 
the derangement may occur before farrowing. 

To prevent this trouble, the sow should be fed on 
ground oats, bran and oil meal, and as much milk 
as possible, during pregnancy, and while suckling 
young pigs. Should the trouble occur at either of 
the above mentioned periods, the following treat- 
ment should be begun as soon as the animal shows 
the first symptoms of weakness in the hind legs, 
or knuckling over at the fetlock joints. Of course, 
cases can be cured even after the animal is down 
and cannot get up. Give one tablespoonful of cod 
liver oil, 15 grains phosphate of lime and three 
drops of the fluid extract of nux vomica in a little 
food as a dose twice a day. This treatment should 
be continued for several weeks if needed. 

Through experience it has been found that pigs 
from a sow that has had an attack of partial 

22 



paralysis are no more likely to be attacked by the 
disease than pigs from a sow that has never had 
the disease. 

A sow that is afifected with partial paralysis does 
not seem to suffer any pain, indicating that the 
disease is a local one, and if the animal can be 
fattened while in this condition the flesh would be 
fit to be sold for pork.— D. Mcintosh, V. S., Cham- 
paign, 111. 

Selecting and Care of Sow 

The following article is from Henry Dorr, Rem- 
sen, Iowa, who is engaged in the breeding of big 
bone, big litter, pure bred Poland Chinas under the 
firm name of Henry Dorr & Sons. Mr. Dorr is 
acknowledged by all who know him to be one of 
the prominent, successful breeders and developers 
of swine. His opinion and practice are recognized 
as the road to success in the hog business, and all 
are anxious to avail themselves of his knowledge. 
We take pleasure in presenting from his own hand 
the following: 




A lot of Dorr's yearling soavs 

"In selecting my brood sow I look for a good, uni- 
form, growthy litter, where the dam is a good suck- 
ler, a good feeder, and of a gentle disposition. 

"I want her to have good length, an arched back, 
good full hams, full around the heart, rather thin in 
neck, broad head, indicating intelligence, a slightly 
dished face, indicating early maturity. Ears should 
be well set apart, medium in size, and not break too 
close to head, so as to not cover the eyes. Her legs 
should be well set apart, out on each corner, be 
straight, showing a good strong heavy bone, pastern 
very short, and toes close together. I always look 
for ten or twelve well-developed teats, indicating 

23 



both prolificness and the ability to properly nourish 
a good litter. 

"I always keep my eye on the gilts showing a good 
appetite, as they are usually the fastest growers 
and make the best brood sows. A sow nursing eight 
to ten pigs must have a good appetite to furnish 
plenty of milk for her litter. 

"After my gilts are selected for breeding pur- 
poses, they are let run on alfalfa or clover pasture, 
with some light slop of ground oats and wheat, 
with a little corn ; enough of this is fed to keep 
them growing a good frame, but have them hungry 
enough to be out in the pasture most of the time. 
After harvest they have the run of the stubblefield, 
and as soon as the pumpkins are ripe we feed them 
all they want by just cracking them. 

"About a month -before breeding we start feeding 
them heavier and try to have them in pink of con- 
dition when we start to breed. We make an effort 
to breed them the second day in heat and allow 
only one service. 

"After service we keep the sow alone until out 
of heat. We do not feed any slop through the 
breeding season until most of the sows are safely 
bred, when we gradually start on slop of ground 
oats and wheat and cut alfalfa mixed thick. In 
cold weather we feed some corn. Our aim is to 
keep them in good growing condition and not fail 
to give them exercise. We keep before them 
all the time a mixture of 20 lbs. of ashes, 4 lbs. 
of salt and 1 lb. of phosphate of lime. We try to 
keep our sows gentle, as kindness goes a long way 
with the brood sow. 

"After winter sets in and snow is on the ground 
we use the road-drag and make runs for them, 
scatter corn fodder or sheaf oats along the run — 
anything to keep them moving around, as exercise 
keeps them healthy and assures a good strong lit- 
ter. 

"We learned, many years ago, that to get a good 
strong litter of growthy pigs we must start to feed 
them through their dam before born. 

"If a brood sow is fed nothing but corn she will 
become lazy and just move around enough to get her 
feed, and then go back to the sleeping quarters. She 
may look nice and sleek and pleasing to the eye, 
but she will not bring those robust, strong pigs 
that her sister will who had to hustle more for her 
living. A few days before she is due to farrow she 
is put in a pen by herself through the night, but 

24 



in the daytime is let out for exercise. After she 
makes her nest we make it a point to be around day 
and night. If the weather is cold we fill a jug of 
hot water wrapped in a gunny-sack. As soon as the 
little fellows arrive we wipe them dry, mark them 
and put them in a barrel, where they soon get 
close to the warm jug; after all arrive we put them 
with the sow and see that each one gets a good fill. 
After this they are put back in the barrel again for 
an hour, when they are put to the sow again. We 
do this the first half day, or until the sow is all 
through cleaning and lays quiet, then we let the 
pigs with the sow, unless the sow shows much un- 
easiness. We watch them closely, as we find many 
a good pig can be saved by attention the first day. 
"As a rule, we feed them nothing the first day, 
but give them a warm drink of water with a few 
handfuls of bran added, and a teaspoonful of soda. 
Everyone must use judgment, as the condition of 
the udder will soon tell you what to do. 

"Never give cold water to a sow after farrowing. 
If the litter nurses well and then sleep, let them 
alone — they are putting on fat; but if they are un- 
easy and keep tugging away at the sow and their 
hair commences to stand up, look out, for there is 
trouble ahead. We find the best feed for sows 
the first week or ten days is whole oats and water 
with the chill taken off. After that we gradually 
work in a little thin slop, and have very little 
trouble about scours with this feed. We keep a 
sharp lookout for thumps, as that takes away many 
a good pig. Each sow is turned out for a couple 
of hours for exercise after the second day of far- 
rowing. 

"As soon as the pigs are strong enough to move 
around we open the little holes leading to the alley 
in the farrowing house. We save our newspapers 
through the fall and winter, and every day after the 
pigs are big enough to get around we unfold papers 
and throw them in the alley. It is not long until 
every pig is out in the alley tearing up the papers. 
It will make you smile to lay on a couch and see 75 
to 100 little porkers tearing up papers and fighting 
among themselves ; it beats driving them with a 
whip, and is the only cure for thumps without 
work on the breeder's side. 

"After pigs are three weeks old they will start 
to eat — we do not encourage them to eat too soon, 
as we found out that scours and a lot of little pig 
ailments are due to the little fellows being started 
out too early. While feeding them strong early, 
they will look better and be bigger at a certain age 

25 



than those going out in pasture, but the others will 
be of stronger bone and bigger frame, expand their 
stomachs on the clover and grasses, and when six 
months old will be larger and show more ruggedness 
than those crowded along too early. 

"As a rule, we let our sows wean their pigs them- 
selves, unless we want sows for fall breeding. By 
the time pigs leave their mothers the sows dry up. 
We shut the pigs up for twelve hours and then give 
them three-fourths to one ounce of Santonin to 100 
head of pigs. We feed these in medium thick slop, 
have plenty of trough room, so each pig gets its 
share. Feed this in the morning; at noon give each 
pig one teaspoonful of epsom salts in slop. In 
the evening we water them, but give no feed; the 
next day we repeat the dose of Santonin, also the 
salts. If your pigs have any worms you will notice 
them the second or third day if you are up before 
the chickens. 

"After this operation they get the run of a large 
pasture of alfalfa and red clover with ground oats 
and wheat for slop, some dry oats for a change, 
and also some corn. Enough of this feed is fed 
to grow them good, but not enough to keep them 
laying in the yard from one meal to the other. We 
like to see our hogs after they are fed in the morn- 
ing go out in pasture and stay there until the sun 
gets too hot in the summer; then they start out 
again by 4 p. m. and fill up on grass before evening 
feed. 

"They have the run to the charcoal, ashes and 
salts. Crude oil is used for vermin if any show 
up. Our yards and houses are kept clean and sani- 
tary. Our aim is to raise 100 to 125 spring pigs 
and 7.5 fall pigs. By following this system we never 
have so many together and can keep them in better 
health and thrift. By having a liking for the hog 
business, giving close attention to the little details, 
and using common sense and not trusting to luck 
alone, we have been very successful in each year 
raising a good, uniform, growthy lot of pure bred 
Poland Chinas that the people all want." 

My Way of Selecting the Brood Sow 

We give you here the plan of Charles Marker in 
selecting his sow, a very successful breeder of 
Poland Chinas and at the present time in charge as 
Chief Herdsman of the noted show winning herd 
of J. E. Meharry, Tolono, 111., and he has won his 
high rank as a breeder and herdsman by practical 
work and in doing things. 

26 



"In the selection of the brood sow, judgment, 
whether good or bad, has a prominent place. 

"My ideal brood sow is one that is a show sow, 
as well as a business sow. By this, I mean a sow 
that comes out of the show ring bearing her laurels 
and also produces get that will rank equally with 
the mother. 

"If you will allow me, I will take Louise Harves- 
ter as an example. She is a show sow and a brood 
sow inasmuch as she won first at the state fairs this 
fall, and she produced two grand champion sows. 
She produced the grand champion sow at Iowa and 
Illinois state fairs, litter sisters, sired by Banker's 
Model. 

"Louise Harvester is a very large sow — will weigh 
over 600 lbs. — and is a show sow every inch of her, 
and her daughter, Lady Willow, the champion at 
Illinois state fair, 1912, is, I think, the best we 
ever owned. 

"My kind of a brood sow, to start with, has lots of 
size, and shows plenty of ruggedness, good length 
and a good high back, but not enough arch to make 
the hind feet set under her; good heart girth, good 
deep sides, just as wide on the belly as the back, 
good wide chest, legs set well on each corner and 
a good head and ear, but not too much of baby 
face on her, for it doesn't look well on a large 
sow. She should have a good coat of hair ; not 
curly, and not necessary to have a satin coat, but 
a good smooth coat. 

"Always pick out a sow that is a good feeder. It 
takes too long to get a mincer started, and their 
pigs will be the same way. 

"The brood sow should have plenty of range at 
all times. Don't keep them too fat, but keep them 
in a thrifty condition. We feed a slop made of 
equal parts ground corn and oats and shorts or 
middlings with a little tankage added in winter, but 
omit the tankage when they have grass to run on. 

"Don't baby the brood sow. Have a good warm 
house for her to sleep in with plenty of dry bed- 
ding, and let her get out and hustle and you will get 
better results when she farrows. We always put 
our sows to themselves ten days or two weeks be- 
fore they farrow so they will get accustomed to 
their pens before they farrow. 

"Be kind to your sows at all times and stay with 
them at farrowing time. 

"In regard to breeding gilts, it depends on the 
way they have been grown. If they have been 

27 



grown good it won't hurt to breed them at ten 
months old, but don't breed a little undersized gilt 
at eight or nine months old. Some of the best 
breeders don't breed a gilt till she is one year old, 
which is a good method. 

"It is needless to mention that a sow needs plenty 
of fresh drinking water at all times. Keep lice and 
nits off of her and free from worms." 



Winter Temperature for Pigs 

A number of hog raisers who have introduced artifi- 
cial heat to warm up their farrowing pens have been at 
a loss to know what temperature would be best to main- 
tain for the benefit of the little pigs. 

An experienced breeder who has been used to heated 
houses, informs us that 60 is about the right heat to 
maintain, that the little pigs will frisk and run about 
playfully with this temperature, which prevents all 
danger of thumps, as the pigs take the exercise as if 
it was summer time and thus avoid the thumps. 

If the house is kept too warm, it lessens the vigor 
and weakens the pigs, causing them to be too much like 
hot house plants. 




Litter of six, allnvinners at Illinois State Fair, 1912, in pig 

class oivned by Frank D. Winn, Randolph, Mo. 



Individual Sow Houses 

The advantages of a single or individual hog 
house are their sanitary qualities, aiding in the 
prevention or outbreak of epidemic and contagious 
disease, an improvement over where all are housed 
in one building. We present therefore a house that 
is generally known as the "Lovejoy style," which 
has been adopted quite generally by breeders. 

"The above cut shows the end and side view of 
the individual hog house; frame made of 2 by 4 pine, 
which takes six pieces 2 by 4, sixteen feet long for 
the frame. Then enough for the door and window 

28 



casing. There should be a door at both ends of the 
house and it should stand facing the south, so 
the sun can shine in window. No window is needed 
in opposite end. The matched flooring covering the 
sides should be dry and well seasoned, so as not 
to shrink and become open. Building paper should 
be put on the inside of the frame then boarded 
on the inside, making it double walled, thus giving 
four-inch air space between inside and outside wall. 
This makes a warm house in winter and much 
cooler in summer. Building paper is also used be- 
tween the boards on ends and even doors 
are made the same, with paper between the 
boards. It is much harder to describe how 
to build one than it is to build it. We built 
a number of them at once and did not figure just 
how much lumber was in each. They cost me some 
years ago $14 apiece, but would cost a little more 
now, owing to the advance in price of lumber. We 
had them made by a regular carpenter, doing a well 
and neat job and are painted with two coats of 
paint and each with a number on a white shield 
in gable. 




8 F£CT SOIJAPFE ■ 



"The top is left two inches apart, as seen in the 
illustrated view, and is covered by an inverted 
trough, raised a little, which gives excellent ventila- 
tion the whole length of the roof. 

"To make the most complete farrowing pen pos- 
sible you need only to take two pieces of 12-inch 
boards eight feet long and nail on both sides on 
the inside of the door, raising them about nine 
inches up from the floor and running from one 
door to the other, forming an alley eight feet long 
and thirty inches wide for the sow to lie down in, 
and the little pigs can come out under the boards 
raised nine inches, as mentioned above, and can 
have the run of the whole house, and the sow will 
not lie on them. The sow should be put in this 

29 



alley for three or four days before farrowing and let 
out a little while each day for exercise and after 
pigs are farrowed should be kept in for a few 
da3's or until the pigs are old enough to take care 
of themselves and not get overlaid. She can be 
let out often enough to be freshly bedded. 

"The little drawing shows as well as possible how 
our individual houses are made. It is rather a hard 
thing to describe so anyone will understand and 
yet they are simple to make. 

"I neglected to say that these houses when the 
sow and litter of the weaned pigs are in them with 
doors shut are almost frostproof even in a cold 
climate, and should one have a sow to farrow in 
very cold weather he could hang a lantern inside 
high enough so the sow cannot get to it and he 
will have as warm a place as he wants for a sow 
to farrow. 

"We allow about one acre of grass lot for each 
house separated by a woven wire fence. We make 
the sides of the house about nine feet, so they 
won't look so squatty in appearance. But they can 
be made out of 16-foot boards cut in two if de- 
sired. 

"Hoping this will be understood by your readers 
and inquirers. A. J. Lovejoy, breeder of Berk- 
shires, Roscoe, 111. 

A Satisfactory Hog House 

The following is a detailed description of the 
hog house of J. O. James, Braddyville, la., a widely 
known breeder of big type Poland Chinas, who is a 
successful and experienced breeder, and whose hog 
house a satisfactory one which others can take 
advantage of. 

It is made of good material and it shows that 
good workmanship has been exercised. One of 
the many good features is the hallway which gives 
ample room for the pigs to take their proper exer- 
cise. The windows are so arranged that the sun- 
light shines in all day. Mr. James has kindly 
given us full particulars about this structure. Fol- 
lowing is what he says : 

The size of the building is 24x42 ft., height 14 ft. 
with a 3x2 drop, back side 6 ft. to eaves, front 
side, 7 ft. Bill of lumber as follows: 1,000 ft. drop 
siding, 1,100 ft. of roofing, sheeting, 300 ft. B. & M. 
for doors, 775 ft. of shiplap for lining, 960 ft. of 
rough lumber for floor and partitions, 9-2 M 
shingles, 300 lin. ft. Ix4s, 2's corner boards and 

30 



window frames, 28 barn sash, 10x14-4 ft. lin. ; 16 
pieces 2x6, 18 ft. ; 24 pieces 2x6, 16 ft. ; 4 pieces 2x4, 
12 ft. ; 22 pieces 2x4, 20 ft. ; 13 pieces 2x4, 10 ft. ; 31 
pieces 2x4, 12 ft. ; 24 pieces 2x4, 18 ft. ; 8 pieces 
4x4, 14 ft. ; 8 pieces 4x4, 10 ft. ; 1-2x8, 18 ft. ; 2-2x8, 
12 ft. 

The estimate cost, as building stands, is $475. 

The first thing one should do in building a house 
of this kind is to select a place where the ground 
is dry and drains well, so they can have a lot that 
will dry early in the spring. You can turn the 
little pigs out then much earlier than if the house 
were located where the ground was low and wet. 

You should take a team and grade a place at 
least ten feet wider and longer than that you ex- 
pect to build the building, then put your founda- 
tion on whatever kind you want to use and if the 
foundation comes above a grade line fill it up with 
sand and gravel or if this is not convenient fill it 
in with dirt, then your floor will set right on the 
ground and there will be no weather or wind to 
get under the floor. The inside of the house is 
arranged for 13 sows or can be used for 14 by 
leaving out the feed bin; but it is very important 
to have a place to keep the feed. The stalls are 
6x8, ten partitions are made solid, 36 inches high 
being made so that they can be set in or taken out 
as one likes. The front of the pen is the same 
height with a 2x4 nailed flat ways as seen in the 
picture. This makes it much stronger and better. 

About getting in and out of the pens, the doors 
are made 24x32 and are made to slide up and down 
with a bolt through the top. By having them made 
this way they can be raised so as to allow the little 
pigs to come out in the hallway whenever they 
want to. The hallway is 8 feet wide. This is di- 
vided into five stalls, the one in the center is for 
the stove and the two at each end can be used 
for sows in case of emergency. The partitions for 
the hall are made of 1x4 boards and made in swing- 
ing gates so they can be easily taken down. You 
will find this 8 ft. hallway the most convenient part 
of the house. 

The inside of the house is lined with shiplap 
and sawdust packed between it and the outside 
wall. We first built the house with just a single 
wall, but in severe cold weather we found that 
of a morning that the wall and roof would be cov- 
ered with a thick coat of frost; as this would melt 
it would make the house very damp, so we decided 

31 



to line it as above stated and found it a big im- 
provement; as there is never any frost on the walls 
now, no matter how cold the weather is, and it is 
much easier to keep an even temperature than with 
just a single wall. 

Again speaking of the farrowing pens, we have 
fenders on each side and back of the pens, set 
about 8 inches from the floor, a 2x6 is plenty heavy 
enough for this. Some think a pen 6x8 isn't large 
enough for 700 and 800 pound sows. We have 
few of those kind of sows and have had quite a lot 
of experience with them farrowing in these sized 




J. Ott Ja) 



pens. I have also taken out one partition, 
thus giving a sow a 12x8 ft. pen, and could 
not see where there was anything gained by 
so doing; as I have found that the worst damage 
that these extra large sows do to their litters is in 
getting up and down when they are farrowing and 
for the first three to five days after farrowing by 
stepping on the pigs. As many sows do not have 
a flow of milk to satisfy the pigs for a day or 
two, the pigs hang on to the teats when the sow 
is up and in this way get stepped on. I have found 
the best way to handle these extra large sows is 

32 



to fix the pen so they can't turn around and step on 
the pigs. This can be easily done by taking two 
pieces of 2x4 about 26 or 28 inches and spike them 
to the back wall 30 inches apart and also spike 
two the same length and distance apart at the front 
end of the pen, then nail two six inch fence boards 
on each side, putting the bottom one about 10 
inches from the floor, then nail a board across the 
two bottom boards about 12 inches from the back 
wall to keep her from backing up against the back 
wall. The space gives a sow that will weigh 800 
lbs. room enough to get up and down easily and 




wg house 



she can lay over flat on either side and she can not 
flop down quick and catch the pigs, as these boards 
on each side prevent her from doing this act. It 
gives plenty of room on each side to get in and 
clean out the pen and for the pigs to lay in per- 
fect safety, as the old sow can not lay over on 
them or get up and turn around and step on the 
best pig she has and kill it. 

I would be very glad to have you come and view 
the hog house yourself, as we have found it to be 
A number 1 in saving pigs. 
33 



Selecting and Care of Brood Sow 

The following article is from Williams Bros., Vil- 
lisca, Iowa, breeders of big type Poland Chinas with 
quality, who have made a marked success of their 
business and whose advice, counsel and experience 
must be valuable to every man raising hogs. 

"One of the first things we consider in selecting 
a brood sow is her breeding. 

"To the breeder of pure bred hogs this means 
pedigree and to the producer of hogs to supply 
the pork market it means practically the same, for 
every man engaged in rasing hogs should have 
some system of marking his litters ; then by observ- 
ing his brood sows carefully he can choose brood 
sow material from sows that have made good, from 
sows that have produced good sized litters and 
then have been good careful mothers and good 
sucklers. 

"These are tendencies that are quite likely to be 
transmitted to the daughters and they are qualities 
that are absolutely essential if the sow is to prove 
profitable in the farrowing pen. There is consid- 
erable difference from the standpoint of profit, be- 
tween the sow that raises eight or more pigs and one 
that raises three or four. These are things that are 
impossible to determine by looking at the sow, hence 
the necessity of choosing good sows from good 
litters and of having a system by which you may 
know that you are getting them from the right 
kind of a family. 

"We imagine that the lack of a system of mark- 
ing litters is largely responsible for many farmers 
raising small litters of pigs. 

"If a sow produces only three pigs the chances 
are she will push them faster than the one raising 
from seven to nine and they are still ahead when the 
time comes for selecting the brood sows. Without 
any system to go by, the man picks the best looking 
ones and is quite likely to get them from small lit- 
ters. In a few generations he has a strain of hogs 
that don't produce more than half enough pigs. 
If, on the other hand, they had picked their brood 
sows from large litters they could fix this charac- 
teristic as well. 

"Another thing to consider is individuality and 
this is as important, perhaps, as breeding. There are 
a number of different qualities that go to make up 
individuality. We first, unconsciously observe that 
indefinable something which we will call charac- 
ter. We say a sow has a broody or motherly look. 

34 



This is in contrast to the sow that is irritable or 
nervous. We determine these qualities largely by 
observing her movements for a little time. 

"The ideal brood sow should conform closely to 
the type we are endeavoring to breed, for as "like 
tends to produce like," we must have a sow that is 
an easy feeder if we are to produce pigs that are 
good feeders. We pick a sow that is broad between 
the eyes, short face and a short neck. She must be 
a good roomy sow, that is, one with plenty of 
length and depth, with a good strong back, slightly 
arched, good spring of rib, one that carries her width 
evenly from end to end. We would seriously object 
to a sow that is deficient in heart girth, as it in- 
dicates a weakness of constitution and a lack of 
heart and lung room. We can readily see the ne- 
cessity of having plenty of room for the organs 
of circulation and respiration when we consider that 
the sow must breathe for these unborn young as 
well as supply them with nourishment for their 
growth through the blood. 




"When it comes to feet and legs we are especially 
particular. We want a sow with a good strong 
bone, or, might we say, a heavy bone. However, 
the number of inches of tape line it takes to go 
around the hog's leg doesn't determine whether 
the hog has a good bone or not. There is such a 
thing as quality of bone. Consequently we demand 
a sow with a good sized, clean, flinty bone. We 
want our sow to have short, straight pasterns and 
stand up straight on her feet. The kind of a pas- 
tern and foot the hog has, has more to do with him 
carrying his weight properly than the size of the 
bone. When we can get a sow with a large bone of 
the right quality and texture so much the better, but 
the brood sow must be able to get out and carry her- 
self around in good shape while carrying her litter, 
as exercise is a ve.y important factor in her pro- 
ducing good, strong litters. 

"Now as we have been writing about the brood 
sow and have confined our remarks to her alone 

35 



we want to say we think the selection of the brood 
sow almost as important as the selection of a sire. 
Now we don't want to be thought of as not advo- 
cating care in selecting a sire, but we don't think, as 
we had a breeder remark to us not long since, that 
the boar is nine-tenths of the herd. We immedi- 
ately took issue with him, but remarked that we 
were afraid it was true in some cases, but it should 
not be. 

"The care given the brood sow from the time 
she is bred until she farrows, and the sow and 
litter from then until weaning time, largely deter- 
mines the profits derived from the hog business on 
the farm. 

"In order to get the best results from our sows we 
begin to give them special care a month before 
we want to breed them. 

"The matter of fecundity in the sow is determined 
first by heredity, which we consider in choosing the 
brood sow, and in the second place by the care she 
is given previous to being bred. The sow should be 
in the very best condition at the time she is bred, 
consequently about a month before breeding time 
we increase the ration (which should be a well-bal- 
anced ration) to the aged sow as well as the younger 
stuff which should be kept growing all the time. 

"In this way we bring them up to breeding time 
gaining in flesh. We have demonstrated to our entire 
satisfaction, that by following this plan we can get 
larger litters than by not giving the sows any special 
care before breeding. 

"In our herd last year we had 36 sows farrow 
366 pigs. These prolific qualities have been culti- 
vated by giving attention to heredity and care pre- 
vious to breeding. 

"After the sow is bred until she farrows, she 
should be given a ration rich in protein and bone 
making material. The unborn pigs must receive all 
the nourishment to make them grow through the 
dam, and when we consider that the pig at the time 
of birth is composed almost entirely of bone muscle 
with very little fat, we can readily see the necessity 
of feeding the sows a ration that will produce this 
bone and muscle. We like part of this ration to 
be quite bulky. 

"Some of the feeds that might be used to supple- 
ment the corn in the ration are bran, shorts, oats, 
tankage, oil meal, alfalfa in various forms or bright 
clover hay. 

"The best feed we have ever used has been 
chopped alfalfa hay in generous quantities mixed 

36 



with the other feeds and after being wet good put 
in their troughs. This feed is bulky, cooling and 
keeps the sows in fine condition. They milk good 
and don't scour the pigs as when fed lots of shorts 
or other concentrated feeds, and being bulky the old 
sow is full and goes to bed contented. 

"The reason we dwell on alfalfa as a part of the 
ration is because it is a bulky feed that is very 
rich in protein, and where we can raise it on the 
farm, as we believe we can, on almost any well- 
drained corn land, we can thereby materially cheapen 
the ration. 

"Where one doesn't have alfalfa, second crop 
clover or even first cutting of cut at the right time 
and properly cured, may be used to take the place of 
alfalfa in the brood sow's ration. Another thing 
of prime importance is the matter of exercise. The 
sow must be forced to take exercise every day if 
she will not take it voluntarily. Aged sows espe- 
cially, if well fed, are the most lazy animals on 
the farm, hence the necessity of forcing them to 
take exercise. One way of getting them to take 
exercise is to feed part of their feed at least as 
far from their sleeping quarters as possible. 

"The sleeping quarters should be dry, roomy and 
well bedded in order to prevent piling up in cold 
weather. 

"Of course, all breeders, and we take for granted, 
all farmers, who are raising hogs in earnest, keep 
a list of their sows and when they are bred, so they 
know when the sow is due to farrow. 

"About a week before the sow farrows we shut 
her away in the pen where she will farrow her pigs. 
Always take time then to get acquainted with the 
sow. Get into the pen and handle her. She will 
soon learn that you are her friend and mean no 
harm. By the time she farrows her litter she will 
be quite tame and easily cared for at that time. 
After shutting her up we decrease the amount of 
feed, shutting oflf altogether on corn and giving 
a cooling bulky ration like bran or oats. It is very 
necessary at this time to guard against constipation, 
hence the value of this kind of ration. 

"When the sow farrows we always have some one 
there to look after her whether that time is mid- 
night or noon. If the weather is cold, as soon as 
the pigs come put them in a box, and if necessary 
have some kind of artificial heat to keep them warm. 
In any event, look after the pigs until the sow is 
through farrowing, when they may be put with the 
sow and allowed to nurse. When they have become 

37 



thoroughly warm and well filled with milk their 
chance of getting along is good. This period and a 
few days following is the most critical time in the 
care of the brood sow. 

"Have her in good comfortable quarters with a 
good, clean, dry bed. we say first, don't give her any- 
thing to eat for twenty-four hours, but give her a 
drink of good, clear water. Then begin by only 
giving her a real small amount of feed, such as 
shorts, ground oats or barley and chopped alfalfa. 
We never give any corn before three days after far- 
rowing, and sometimes not that soon and then very 
small amounts. 

"There are great numbers of pigs lost each year 
from neglecting to feed the sow properly the first 
week or ten days of the pigs' lives. Do not be in 
a hurry to crowd these pigs, for they don't need as 
much the first week of their lives as many imagine. 
A little too much rich feed the first few days is 
very apt to give the pigs the scours, and if so you 
have given the pigs a setback that very many of them 
never get over, so feed sparingly the first week or 
ten days and increase it gradually as the litter be- 
comes able to take more. 

"It is a great drain on the sow to suckle a large 
litter of pigs, hence the necessity of feeding plenty 
of good, rich food, giving a ration that is conducive 
to a large flow of milk. 

"Right here we want to say that exercise is abso- 
lutely essential for the litter especially ; of course 
the pigs that are farrowed when it is warm take 
care of themselves, while those that come in colder 
weather must be forced to take exercise, or they 
become fat and take the thumps from which there 
is no cure, at least we have never found one that 
was one-tenth part as good as prevention. 

"We have had a number of men tell us that their 
pigs just laying in the nest, fat and doing fine, as 
they thought, just dropped off one at a time with 
thumps; so give them exercise, whether they want 
it or not, and avoid the thumps and this consequent 
loss. 

"Now as soon as these pigs get well started and 
get to eating some out of the trough with the 
mother, make a place for the pigs to go in where 
the sows cannot, and put some feed there for the 
pigs. They soon learn where it is and will be on 
hand for it at feeding time. They thus supplement 
the milk, and as they get ten to twelve weeks old 
they can be weaned and go right along and never 
miss the sow. 

38 



"If the pigs are farrowed within a short space of 
time they may be all handled together this way, 
but if the farrowing season extends over a con- 
siderable length of time they must be separated, for 
"pigs is pigs," and the larger will rob the smaller 
ones, and after all are weaned the big ones crowd 
the smaller ones out so they cannot get their share 
of feed and so do not make the gain they should. 

"The more lots and pastures one can have in which 
to keep the different ages and sizes, the more satis- 
factory and profitable the hog raising will become. 

"We have mentioned a few of the common mis- 
takes and suggested remedies and just want to men- 
tion one more thing, that we all have to contend 
with more or less, and if to any extent it proves a 
serious menace to the profitable production of pork 
if not attended to at the right time, it is worms 
in the pigs. All pigs seem to be affected more 
or less, and we never know how badly they may 
get, so, as with other things, the best thing is to 
expect them and feed" something to prevent. There 
are a number of worm remedies on the market, 
and each endorsed by successful swine raisers, so 
it is left to you to choose which one you will use ; 
but use something and begin in time, before you 
wean the pigs, and whatever one you use follow the 
directions for feeding and you may save yourself 
a lot of grief. 

"So just keep the pig thrifty, free from all these 
parasites, and keep him growing all the time, and 
do it every year and your hog business will be a 
paying one." 

Selection and Care of Brood Sow 

The ability and success of Lloyd Mugg, Kokomo, 
Ind., as a hog man of national reputation is well 
known, having spent nearly half a century as a 
breeder, showman and judge, and placing the rib- 
bons at some of the most important state and 
greatest fairs of the country. He is justly con- 
sidered one of the Supreme Court judges of swine. 
The benefit of his knowledge and experience in 
selecting and caring for the brood sow is worth 
good money to any breeder; even the best breeders 
acknowledge that there are none of them who can- 
not learn every year of their lives something of ad- 
vantage from the experience and knowledge of 
others. Here is Mugg's plan: 

"I would select a young gilt or sow out of a 
good brood sow and from a big litter. The gilt 
should be of good color, coat and good growth. She 

39 



should have a good, broad head and face, nice ears 
of medium size, good neck and jowl, broad, straight 
back and loin, medium in length of back, so as 
not to swag down. I want good, deep hams and 
shoulders, the hams well let down on hocks. A 
good under loin, even, wide belly, and a good num- 
ber of teats, not less than ten good ones or more. 
Good, large chest, strong, stout bone, short legs, 
short in joints, good feet and legs set well under 
the body, straight and wide apart. 

"This gilt should be taken good care of from 
time of selection until matured and grown on good 
feed. I use bran and shorts mixed about half and 
half in water, slop or milk. I often use one-third 
corn and two-thirds oats ground fine, fed in slop. 
I feed a small amount of corn also. The gilt 
should have a good run of blue grass or clover as 
much as possible to give her plenty of exercise. 
I keep this sow pig growing fast and in good flesh 
until eight or nine months old, providing she was an 
early spring gilt, she would be ready to breed to a 
good boar about November 1st. I feed and care 
for the sow in the same way as mentioned hereto- 
fore. She should have a good, dry sleeping house, 
kept clean and well disinfected. After breeding 
her I would not let her run and sleep with too many 
other sows or pile up with hogs. She must have 
plenty of exercise through winter. Two weeks pre- 
vious to farrowing I would put her by herself in a 
good house in cold weather. I use a house where I 
have a stove. This house is so it can be ventilated 
or shut up if necessary. Adjoining the house I 
have a lot so the sow can be let out to exercise. 
Upon putting the sow into this house I stop feed- 
ing her corn and feed her only slop stuff. 

"When the sow farrows, I am with her to see 
that the pigs are not chilled. I take the little pigs' 
teeth off by the use of a small pair of nippers to 
prevent their fighting over the teats and biting the 
sow. This biting often causes the sow to jump 
up and drop down on them, and there is danger of 
injuring or killing a pig. 

"I then leave the sow for eight or ten hours 
and then I give her a drink of water with some 
bran and shorts mixed thin. I also throw in the 
remains kept from my butchering, in rendering the 
lard, called cracklings. This keeps the sow's bowels 
in good condition, and as the pigs get older I in- 
crease in the feed of slop in quantity, making it 
richer with the shorts, and when the pigs are ten 
or fourteen days old I commence feeding the sow a 
little corn twice a day, but not too heavy on corn. 

40 



"When the pigs are old enough to go out with 
the sow I let them run out, providing the weather 
is fit. I want them to have the exercise. If the 
weather is too bad I make them take exercise in 
the house by getting in with them and running them 
around while the sow is in the out lot. When the 
pigs are a month old I begin feeding the little pigs 
by themselves and I increase the feed for the sow 
as I think she needs it and increase the feed to the 
pigs. I use milk or kitchen slop to mix pigs' feed 
when I have it. Also use shelled corn and crack- 
lings when I can get them. They are good feed 
for the sow and pigs. The sow and litter should 
have plenty of exercise and be kept in good dry beds. 
Disinfectants should always be used. When the lit- 
ter is about three months old I wean them, as they 
have learned to eat and will grow nicely from this 
time on. If I want to keep the sow as a brood 
sow I turn her out on pasture of good, green food, 
with a small amount of ear corn. Then she will be 
in good condition for breeding again. I have said 
nothing about oil meal, condition powders, or alfalfa 
meal, as I do not use them, I always want to use 
what I grow on the farm so as to be able to sell 
as cheap as possible to my customers and hold 
my trade and give satisfaction." 

Non-Breeding Sow Treatment 

This remedy is one that has been used with un- 
failing success for fifty years by a veteran breeder 
who has the utmost faith in it. 

A breeder will sometimes have a sow, that after 
repeated trials fails to breed and if the sow is one 
of extra value, this failure is quite a loss to him 
and he is anxious for information of an easy way 
to treat her to insure her to breed. 

A sow thus affected is suffering from a disease, 
which is sometimes called by breeders "Whites," 
because of the discharge of this color from her. 
His treatment for a sow in this condition is to use 
"Hemp Seed." This can usually be secured at any 
drug store, and this party has never failed in 50 
years in getting a sow to breed that was treated 
in this manner, and his reputation for success be- 
came so well known on this treatment, that sows 
have been sent to him that had failed to breed for 
over two years, and inside of two months he has 
them proven with pig and raise good litters. 

The treatment is one-fourth of a pint of hemp 
seed twice a day in the morning and evening, fed 
in a slop made of bran and shorts. This can be 
followed for a week or two weeks if necessary 
until it proves a success. Sometimes it takes more 

41 



than at other times, depending to some extent on 
how long the sow has been in this diseased con- 
dition. While this is a home remedy it is simple, 
cheap and easily administered. 

Treatment for Aborting Sows 

I will give you some actual experience with sows 
aborting. I had trouble of this kind in my herd 
about two years ago, and experienced considerable 
difficulty before it was completely eliminated. My 
experience would indicate that all sows and gilts 
that show the least indication of a light discharge 
should be put in a lot by themselves and their pens 
be kept thoroly disinfected ; then as fast as these 
gilts or sows come in heat, treat them with an 
iodine wash ; using two ounces of iodine to 2 quarts 
of warm water. The sow should be put in a breed- 
ing crate and a rubber tube syringe used, holding 
the wash above the sow as far as the rubber hose 
Avill permit, which is usually about three feet. Use 
the largest size hard rubber tip that goes with the 
syringe (a little vaseline should be used on the rub- 
ber tip). The parts should be thoroly cleansed by 
the iodine wash. Never treat the sow unless she 
is in heat, and repeat the treatment the second time 
in heat if the case is bad, and she shows any indi- 
cation of the disease, or the parts show an un- 
healthy inflamed condition. 

Do not breed the sows for twenty-one days after 
she has been treated, and then not, unless she is in 
good condition. As soon as the sows have been 
treated, place in a lot away from the other hogs 
and keep the pen thoroughly disinfected. If any 
are not completely cured after the second treatment 
they should be taken from the herd. The disease 
seems to be very difficult to control in a very large 
herd, but not so difficult in a small herd, as you 
know the disease is contagious. It was caused in 
my herd by feeding smutty rye and had quite a 
start before I was aware what was causing the 
trouble ; the discharge was at first very slight, and 
I experienced considerable trouble getting some of 
the sows with pig. This condition gradually grew 
worse, until it developed into abortion ; I then 
started to treat the sows and reduce the herd and 
soon had the herd entirely free from the disease. 
Never treat a sow when she is with pig, as it wall 
cause her to lose her pigs. If she show's symptoms 
of the disease, put her by herself until she has her 
pigs, then treat her the first time she comes in 
heat. The treatment in no ways injures the sow 
and once cured will stay cured. My sows that were 
cured had large strong litters and I saw no bad 
eflfects in the pigs ; the disease apparently being a 
local one. — J. D. Collins. 

42 



Easy Farrow 

One of the breeder's duties is to prepare the sow 
for an easy natural farrow. The sow that is con- 
stipated at the time that she is due to farrow is 
in bad condition and this should be prevented. Con- 
stipation causes difficult farrowing and labor. It is 
also the beginning of a fever that adds to the bur- 
den of the sow and causes her milk to be harmful 
to her coming litter. There is always every year 
more or less trouble on some farms, especially with 
young sows farrowing. The sows should always 
have had sufficient exercise, daily if possible, from 
breeding time up to farrowing time and received 
feed of a laxative character, preventing constipa- 
tion and just giving them free natural voidings. 
Nothing is much better for a week before farrow- 
ing at any time and especially if there is any show 
of constipation to give them in their feed a double 
handful of oil cake meal. Also to assist the sow 
into the proper condition she should be fed some 
cracklings as we have mentioned elsewhere. 

In the event that the sow is in bad condition of 
constipation she should be given a mild physic with 
a good dose of Epsom salts, if she is not relieved 
by the linseed oil cake ; care should be taken not to 
produce scours and all changes of feed should be 
gradual. It is presumed that the sow has had ac- 
cess to wood ashes, charcoal and some lime and 
if there is any show of weakness in the hindquar- 
ters a little phosphate of lime is a help. 

At the time she is due to farrow she should be 
carefully watched and attended to, so that the pigs 
can be taken care of as they come, dried and put 
in a warm box in which a warm brick wrapped up 
in gunnysacks will keep the pigs in a comfortable 
condition until they are put to her to suck and get 
their first nourishment. By doing this you will pro- 
tect the pigs, save them and prevent the sow from 
lying on them, by putting them back in the basket 
after they have had their first fill. 

Feed lightly for three days before the sow is due 
to farrow and if she is in good condition there 
should be no trouble to her in. farrowing. After 
farrowing she should not be fed anything but 
warm water, with a little bran, the first 24 hours 
and but very light feed for three davs after far- 
rowing so that the milk will not be forced, as the 
pigs need but little and an over-supply left in the 
udder causes fever and deranges the little pigs' 

43 



stomachs, bringing on scours. This treatment will 
usually give an cas}' farrow ; have had no trouble 
with sows farrowing in five years by treating in 
this way is the report of an Illinois breeder. 



Brood Sow Pointers 

Have your brood sows take daily exercise each 

day, unless the weather is too stormy. It is a 

necessity', next to feed, for the benefit of the 
coming litter. 

The brood sow does not need fattening feed, 
but feed to build muscle and bone. She should be 
in good flesh, strong and vigorous with only enough 
corn given to keep up the heat in cold weather. 

The brood sow should be fed a laxative feed to 
keep the bowels in good condition. Oil cake meal 
is one of the best aids for this purpose, a handful 
for each sow in the slop will usually keep the bow- 
els in good order. 

Free access to a box of charcoal, lime, wood 
ashes, all of which is moderately salted, will fur- 
nish mineral matter, which is needed by the brood 
sow for maintenance of the sow's bones and the 
growing of the bones of the litters. 

Be careful that your sows or pigs, in their sleep- 
ing quarters, are not subject to cold air draughts 
upon them, as colds are often taken this way and 
sometimes runs into pneumonia. Ventilation is all 
right and needed for health's support. 

Do not feed jour brood sows after breeding them 
any rye, either whole grain or ground, nor rye bran 
or middlings. Rye carries more ergot than any 
other grain. Ergot eaten by the sow is sure to pro- 
duce abortion. This ergot is apparently a blighted 
black hard substance growing on the head of the 
rye. 

Sows that have been bred for Spring litters every 
season by some feeders in some section (but sel- 
dom the second time) are injured, and the litter 
virtually lost bj' abortion or weaklings if they carry 
till farrowed, because of feeding a ration of too 
high a percentage of protein, being an unbalanced 
ration and causing more serious losses than from 
too large a percent of carbohydrates. Take the 
benefit of the other fellow's costly experience and 
beware. 

44 



Experience in Selecting and Handling 
Brood Sow 

Chas. E. Keller, Newark. Ohio, has won his laur- 
els as an experienced, successful breeder and de- 
veloper of swine and proved it with the goods. His 
success at the World's Fair in St. Louis in capturing 
the championship on sows, whose picture is given 
herein, established his record as a famous breeder 
and he has been making good ever since. 

We are pleased to submit to the readers of this 
book from his hand, his ideals, plans and methods 
of selecting and caring for the brood sow. 

"I will start this subject by selecting a gilt of 
early spring farrow that has had good care and is 
well developed. My first consideration in choosing 
this gilt is to know she is from a prolific family, 
but some times we get small litters from sows whose 
dams have proven themselves prolific mothers, 
which cannot be accounted for. These are excep- 
tions. 

"Experience has taught me that a sow selected 
from such a litter is as prolific as the family se- 
lected from. 

"Next, the individuality of the sow is looked after. 
She should be of ample size that would at mature 
age weigh around 600 lbs. or over with good qual- 
ity. The word quality as I have used it, pertains 
to all of the different qualifications of the sow, 
show quality, feeding quality and killing quality. 
She must have good length, strong arched back with 
a well sprung rib, deep sides with flank well dropped 
and a straight under line. Her hams should be 
deep and wide and should carry the width well 
down ; the neck should be short with a full crest, 
short nose and wide head, with face slightly dished, 
a natural sized thin ear, breaking over one-third 
to one-half from the points; set wide on head, 
with points of ears standing as wide apart as pos- 
sible. She should have a medium sized jowl and 
a full wide chest with legs set well apart, with a 
good sized bone of flinty quality. There should be 
as much consideration for the quality of the bone 
as for its size. The legs should be short and slight- 
ly tapered with short pastern joints, straight in 
hock joints as possible. Good strong straight feet, 
standing up on toes. She should have a thin 
straight, soft black coat of hair which denotes a 
thin skin and mellow finish, with easy feeding qual- 
ities and free from creases. Feet, tail and nose 
should be slightly tipped with white, which is mere- 
ly a condition of fancy. 

45 



"This gilt should be bred to farrow the last of 
March or first of April so she may pick a little green 
grass which will stimulate the milk flow. The gilt 
with her first litter never furnishes the nourishment 
that is produced by the aged sow. 

"After she is bred give her access to good range 
that she may take plenty of exercise. A sow that 
fails to be exercised is liable to become out of con- 
dition and bring a weak puny litter. She should 
have a dry, warm sleeping house kept in a sanitary 
condition and furnished at all times with good bed- 
ding so that they will not pile up during the ex- 
tremely cold weather. 

"Experience has taught me they should not be 
crowded in their sleeping quarters, nor should too 
many be permitted to sleep together during the cold 
winter season. 

"I feed my brood sows a limited amount of slop 
composed of bran shorts and oil meal. I would ad- 
vise slopping once a day and feed oats and corn 
once a day. If you see the sow is taking on too 
much flesh cut down the corn ration and feed more 
oats. The feeder must use his own judgment in 
this matter, the sow should be kept in strong flesh 
but not to get fat, a sow in high flesh will farrow 
a good strong litter but often fails to furnish the 
proper amount of nourishment that the young re- 
quire to make a thrifty and rapid growth. 

About one week before time to farrow I take her 
to the farrowing house which contains 6 pens 7x7 
feet and a four foot aisle in center with a stove at 
one end of the aisle. Each pen is protected with a 
rail fender 2x4 placed 10 inches from the walls and 
the same distance from the floor to prevent sow ly- 
ing on pigs. Each farrowing pen is provided with a 
lot for exercise. When the sow is taken in the 
house I cut out the grain ration and just feed bran 
slop with a little oil meal added. When the sow far- 
rows I am with her, for some sows become nervous 
and uneasy at such times. Constantly getting up and 
down, rolling from one side to the other is likely to 
kill a number of the pigs while farrowing. If it is 
cold weather have a fire in the house to prevent the 
pigs from piling. If the sow is uneasy place pigs 
in a basket before the fire as fast as they come, if 
she is quiet keep them in the nest and get them to 
nursing as soon as possible. As soon as she is 
through farrowing, I cut their tusk teeth ofif close to 
the gums with a small pair of nippers which pre- 
vents them biting the sow if they fight over the 
teats. This biting causes the sow to become uneasy 
and injure her pigs by getting up and down. Keep 

46 



the sow quiet until she shows signs of wanting some- 
thing, then offer her a drink of water which is usual- 
ly from six to ten hours after farrowing. The 
second day I give her a very thin bran slop with a 
little oil meal. If her udder seems hard and caked 
place in the slop one tablespoonful of Glaubers 
Salts and one teaspoonful of Saltpeter once a day, 
continue feeding bran slop and oil meal but sparing- 
ly as long as there is fever in the udder. If the 
feed is increased it will induce a greater flow of 
milk than the little ones can consume and conse- 
quently the udder becomes caked and the pigs starve 
and die. After the first week I feed some whole 
oats with the slop and when the pigs are four weeks 
old I begin using shorts in the slop, two parts bran 
and one part shorts, also some corn and a little less 
oats. The amount they should be fed must be gov- 
erned by size of sow and the amount of exercise 
she is permitted to take. If she farrows in cold 
weather and is confined to the farrowing house she 
should be fed more sparingly than if she were roam- 
ing over the fields. The most trouble with the little 
pigs comes from indigestion through the mother. If 
her digestion is all right there will be no scours in 
the litter. 

"If it is too cold to turn the little pigs out, I let 
the sow out. for exercise and while out I clean and 
disinfect the nest and add dry bedding. This prompts 
the little pigs to take part in the work for they like 
the plan after their nest is renovated. 

"Some time a litter gets fat and lay in the nest, 
when this is discovered, they are taken out several 
times every day and placed in the aisle of the hog 
house, which causes them to fret and worry trying 
to get back to the sow, and in a short time they will 
become active and exercise in their pens, otherwise 
thumps will be the result. 

"As soon as the pigs are inclined to eat, prepare a 
place away from the sow to feed them. A nice 
clean corn meal and a small quantity of oil meal 
scalded with boiling water, and thinned with milk 
direct from the cow is the best and cheapest feed I 
can prepare for them. When older I feed them 
some shelled corn. When ten weeks to three 
months of age, I wean them and turn the young 
sow on a good range of grass and feed her well all 
summer, that she may make a good growth and be 
in strong condition to breed for a litter. I never 
allow a gilt to raise but one litter the first year. Do 
not turn this young sow with old ones to chew her 
ears off and whip her to death, for she will not 
thrive under such treatment. 

47 



"Miss Fairbanks was the first prize gilt and junior 
reserved champion and one of the Lena Perfection 
litter that won 8 prizes at the World's Fair St. Louis 
in 1904. In her yearling form she was grand cham- 
pion sow at Ohio State Fair and one month later she 




Misj Fairbanks, 700 lb. brood soiv 

was grand champion at the Illinois State Fair where 
she met and defeated the grand champion of Iowa, 
Missouri and Indiana. She now is in her 9th year 
of age and last spring she farrowed 7 strong pigs 
and looks to be good for several more years. 

A Successful Breeder's Methods 

The man who has made a success of his business, 
is always entitled to the attention of his fellow men 
engaged or interested in the same line. He is able 
to give them advice and instruction of just how he 
proceeded to reach success in his business. Anyone 
searching for information to enable them to attain 
success, can thus profit by the instruction they get 
from him. 

You will discover by investigation that a good por- 
tion of the accomplishment of a herd of hogs is 
caused by the skill of the feeder, no matter how ex- 
cellent the hogs themselves are, the feeder's work 
is an important part to their success. 

Judged by results entitles R. M. Cassell, La Harpe, 
111., a place in the front rank of the best feeders and 
developers in the United States. We present below 
from his own hand a statement of his ideals and 
how to select them, and his method of handling, 
feeding and caring for them. As a breeder of Big 
Type Poland-Chinas, he has made a reputation 
second to none. 

"The boar is called half the herd; the sow there- 
fore, must be the other half. In my experience the 
results from dififerent sows have, of course, been 
varied. The sow of my choice has not always been 

48 



the best producer. There are sows of ideal propor- 
tions, that are failures as breeders, in that they do 
not reproduce true to their form. I have found a 
safe rule to go by; that is, that LIKE PRODUCES 
LIKE, more so in the hog family than in any other 
stock. If we select our sows when young, paying 
particular attention to size, quality and the size of 
the litter she is from, we may be reasonably sure, 
by properly feeding, to have a profitable brood sow. 
"In selecting the future brood sow I try to get one 
with great length, she must be wide from end to 
end, the back well arched and above all avoid that 
droop behind the shoulder, well sprung rib and the 
head short and wide and a heavy jowl. The top and 
bottom lines should be near the same distance apart 




A 700 brood soiv in my herd 

the entire length. I avoid the small boned gilt, also 
the one with bad feet. I like the medium to small 
drooping ear, but will stand for an ear a little too 
large if the other points mentioned are all right. 
It is needless to say that I avoid the swirl. 

"The feeding I consider a very important part of 
the brood sow problem. I like to keep the gilts up 
in good flesh, that is, I keep them growing and 
gaining from the time they are bred until farrow- 
ing time; now I do not mean that the gilt should 
be fat; there is a great difference between a gilt 
that is in good growing condition and one that is 
fat. A stunted animal, rarely attains the size that 
one does that is carried along in good condition. 

"I seldom breed the gilt to farrow before she is a 
year old and two months later is better. After far- 
rowing she is fed carefully, watching her litter all 
the time and increasing her feed to keep her up in 
flesh as a set back at this time is detrimental to the 

49 



future brood sow. The young sow is kept separate 
from the older sows, as she requires more feed to 
keep up her condition and is usually allowed to wean 
her litter herself. I rarely breed the young sow 
for a fall litter as I usually have plenty of older 
sows for that purpose. 

"The gilt is given as much of a variety of feed as 
the farm affords, she has clover hay, oats, some corn 
and a slop made of shorts, ground oats and wheat 
or rye and always a large field, preferably clover, to 
run on. I consider oats one of the most valuable 
feeds we have ; I have fine results using it in the 
brood sow ration, it seems to balance up the feed 
in a Satisfactory manner without the expense of 
buying the much advertised foods. 

How to Select Feed and Care for Sow 

We give you the plan and method of handling the 
sow and litter by Geo. W. Sefrit, Lucas, la., breeder 
of Big Type Poland-Chinas who has made a great 
success in the breeding business as results show. 
These plans are from his worked out experience 
thoroughly practical in every particular. 

"In giving you my methods of handling the sow 
and her litter I will start with the sow before breed- 
ing. The sow should be from a good family, with 
good disposition and a good suckler. If she is not 
a good milker she will not raise good pigs, no dif- 
ference how good an individual she is. She should 
be a large roomy sow with a good bone, arched back 
and straight wide lines, with a smooth coat. Here 
is presented a picture of one of my best brood sows, 
Nellie Price, bred by myself and has proved a won- 
derful good brood sow. 

"The sow should farrow a good sized litter ; but 
am not particular about extreme large litters, such 
as 12 to 14, my preference is for 8 or 10 as being 
better. 

"Don't get the sow in too high flesh before breed- 
ing; but have her in good thrifty shape when bred; 
then feed her so as to gain a little more flesh from 
that time on ; but don't feed her much corn, feed 
ground oats, bran, shorts and alfalfa. Be sure and 
have her take plenty of exercise, this is a necessity 
for best results. Always use a breeding crate when 
using a large aged boar. The boar should be fed a 
balanced ration consisting of corn, ground oats, 
shorts and milk; but don't get him fat, keep him in 
a pasture away from the other portion of the herd, 
give him plenty of exercise and don't overlook the 
fact that a good herd boar will pay to use always, 
the extra cost will be a good investment. 

"I take the sow away from the herd a week or ten 
50 



days before farrowing time, place her in a small pas- 
ture to herself with an individual farrowing house 
where she will have things quiet and to herself. 
Make the farrowing pen 7 feet wide and 9 feet long 
Vf'ith a window in one end and a door at the other. 
Have the door facing to the South, if she is a very 
large aged sow have a door in both ends. The sow 
can then go in at one end and out of the other and 
will not be so apt to trample on the little pigs. If 
the weather is cold, line the house with tar paper 
and bank it up on the outside, so that no frost will 
get in. If the weather is very severe hang a large 
lantern inside or get a carriage foot warmer, either 
one will keep the house in good shape almost any 
kind of weather; but be sure and have some ventila- 
tion. Just as soon as the weather is fit hang a can- 
vas or gunny sack over the door nailing it at the 
top of the door and let it hang loose at the bottom. 
The sow can then go in and out at her pleasure. 

"If the sow has been taken care of in the right 
way, the pigs will be large and strong at farrowing 
time. Always look after the sow when farrowing 
and get the little fellows to sucking as soon as pos- 
sible. If they get chilled take them to the fire and 
warm them and get them to nursing as soon as you 
get them warm. This is a good time to mark the 
litter, also remove the little tusks and be sure and 
do not pull them out, nor break them ; but cut them 
square off. There are several instruments made for 
this but none that suit me, so I got a pair of side 
cutter pliers and sawed six jaws and have only the 
side cutter left and they are just the right thing. 

"I feed the sow lightly the first few days before 
and after farrowing time, don't feed much corn, 
feed ground oats and bran, as bran is one of the best 
feeds there is for sows at farrowing time both be- 
fore and after. If the sow is fed the proper ration 
she will seldom eat her pigs, if she should show any 
inclination to eat them, give her a little tankage and 
then take a cloth saturated with kerosene and rub 
over the pigs once a day and she will not be apt to 
touch them. 

"Keep the farrowing pen well cleaned out and dis- 
infected, with good clean straw for bedding, get the 
pigs to eating as soon as you can, feed them on 
shorts and milk with some soaked shelled corn. 
Keep the sow in an individual pasture until the pigs 
are a month or six weeks old, they then can be' 
taken to larger quarters. 

"If the pigs should get the scours it is the fault of 
the way you have taken care of the sow. The first 
thing to do is to change feed of sow, feeding her on 
bran for a day or two and perhaps a good dose of 

51 



salts would be good, then one tablespoonful of 
sulphur once a day for two days. Keep the pigs and 
sows out of filth and mud and disinfect the pen ; 
also keep some charcoal where the sow can have ac- 
cess to it. 

"I have a large hog house made for sows farrow- 
ing, with hall four feet wide and pens 6x8 arranged 
so that the windows will let the sunshine in both 
rows of pens. Some breeders think this is a good 
way to have sows farrow. I use both kinds but 
prefer the individual pen for several reasons. I 
think pigs are more subject to disease in keeping 
many together and the sows do better when there is 
nothing to bother them. When several sows are in 
one hog house and one sow steps on a pig and the 
pig squeals the rest of the sows in the hog house 
will jump up and perhaps there will be other pigs 




Anna Price 1st 700 lbs. Poland-China sonxj ivit/i quality, 
a good suckler, alavays raises tivo litters a year. 

stepped on. Tf some of the sows are farrowing it 
is necessary to keep the hog house too warm for 
the rest of them that have older pigs. 

"If the pigs should get canker sore mouths, make a 
little solution of corrosive sublimate, one table- 
spoonful to a half pint of water, take a small syringe 
and inject it into the small ulcers and be sure to get 
to bottom of canker. Take a little probe and re- 
move all foreign matter before injecting. Do this 
once a day for three days and your pigs will be all 
right; but the pigs will never have canker sores if 
they have plenty of air and sunshine and are kept in 
good clean quarters. 

"I will also add that I raise but one litter of pigs a 
year from a gilt; but after the first year I breed 
them for two litters a year, and find that they do as 
well, if the sow has proper care. With large sows 
they get too fat if you only breed them for one 
litter, and do not do as well as when they are bred 
to raise two litters a year. 

52 



AVERAGE VALUE FEED STUFFS. 



NAME OF FEED 



C!orn 

Dent Corn 

Flint Corn 

Sweet Corn 

Corn Meal 

Corn-and-Cob Meal 

Wheat 

Wheat Bran 

Wheat Middlings 

Wheat Screenings 

Red Dog Flour 

Rye Middlings 

Barley Feed 

Oats 

Ground Oats 

Oat Meal 

Buckwheat Feed 

Rice 

Rice Meal 

Rice Bran 

Rice HuUs 

Canada Field Pea 

Cowpea 

Soybean 

Kaffir Corn 

Ground Kaffir Corn Heads 

Sorghum Seed 

Milo Maize Seed 

Broom-corn Seed 

MiUetSeed 

Flax Seed 

Linseed Meal, O. P 

Cotton Seed 

Cotton Seed Meal 

Sunflower Seed 

Peanut Kernels, without 

hulls 

Peanut Cake 

Rape-seed Cake 

Gluten Meal 

Gluten Feed 

Dried Brewers' Grains. . . 

Bakery Refuse 

Dried Beet Pulp 

Sugar Beat Molasses 

Cow's Milk 

Skim Milk 

Buttermilk 

Whey 



Digestible Nut- 
rients in 100 lbs. 






Lbs. 
89.4 
88.7 
91.2 
85.0 
84.9 

89.5 
88.1 
88.8 
88.4 
90.1 

88.2 
91.1 
89.6 
88.0 
92.1 
88.4 

87.6 
89.8 
90.3 
91.2 

85.0 
85.4 
88.3 

90.1 

86.4 
87.2 
91.0 
87.2 
87.9 

90.8 
90.2 
89.7 
93.0 
91.4 

92.5 
89.3 
90.0 
90.5 
90.8 
91.3 
87.0 
91.6 
79.2 

12.8 
9.4 
9.9 
6.2 



Crude 
Protein 



Lbs. 
7.8 
8.0 
8.8 
6.7 
4.4 



11.9 

13.0 

9.6 

16.2 

11.0 
11.5 
10.7 
10.1 
11.9 
15.6 

6.4 
7.4 
7.6 
0.3 

19.7 
16.8 
29.1 

5.2 
4.2 
4.5 
4.9 
4.6 
7.1 

20.6 
30.2 
12.5 
37.6 
14.8 

25.1 

42.8 

25.3 

29.7 

21.3 

20.0 

7.0 

4.1 

4.7 

3.4 
2.9 
3.8 
0.6 



Carbo- 
hy- 
drates 



Lbs. 
66.8 
66.2 
63.7 
64.3 
60.0 

67.5 
42.0 
45.7 
48.2 
57.0 

52.9 
60.3 
50.3 
52.5 
65.1 
38.2 

79.2 
48.3 
38.8 
19.9 

49.3 
54.9 
23.3 

44.3 
42.4 
61.1 

44.8 
42.2 
48.5 

17.1 
32.0 
30.0 
21.4 
29.7 

13.7 
20.4 
23.7 
42.5 
52.8 
32.3 
55.5 
64.9 
54.1 

4.8 
5.3 
3.9 
5.0 



Fat 



Lbs. 
4.3 
4.3 
7.0 
3.5 
2.9 

1.5 
2.5 
4.5 
1.9 
3.4 

2.6 
2.9 
3.8 
3.7 
6.7 
4.4 

0.4 

11.9 

7.3 

0.1 

0.4 

1.1 

14.6 

1.4 
1.2 
2.8 
1.3 
1.5 
2.5 

29.0 
6.9 

17.3 
9.6 

18.2 

35.6 
7.2 
7.6 
6.1 
2.9 
6.0 
4.8 



3.7 
0.3 
1.0 
0.2 



53 



AVERAGE VALUE FEED STUFFS. 



NAME OF FEED 



Meat Scrap 

Meat and Bone Meal .... 

Dried Blood 

Tankage 

Fodder Corn with Ears . . 
Corn Stover, Ears off . . . . 

Timothy Hay 

Kentucky Blue Grass. . . . 

Bermuda Grass 

Prairie Grass 

Buffalo Grass 

Red Clover 

Alsike Clover 

White Clover 

Sweet Clover 

Soybean Hay 

Cowpea Hay 

Alfalfa Western Hay . . . . 

Alfalfa Eastern Hay 

Peanut Vine Hay 

Fresh Green Roughage 

Fodder Corn 

Sweet Corn without Ears. 

Red Kaffir Corn 

Sorghum Fodder 

Yellow Milo Maize 

Kentucky Blue Grass . . . . 
Timothy 

Wheat Forage 

Rye Forage 

Oat Forage 

Barley Forage 

Johnson Grass 

Bermuda Grass 

Hungarian Grass 

Japanese Millet 

Common Millet 

Fresh Green Legumes 

Red Clover 

Mammoth Red Clover. . . 

Alsike Clover 

Sweet Clover 

AKalfa 

Spring Vetch 

Cowpea 

Soybean 

Horse Bean 



1=2 

»-< a 



Digestible Nut- 
rients in 100 lbs. 



Lbs. 
89.3 
94.0 
91.5 
93.0 

57.8 
59.5 
86.8 
86.0 
92.9 
90.8 
85.0 

84.7 
90.3 
90.3 
92.1 

88.2 
89.5 
93.2 
93.6 
92.4 

20.7 
20.0 
18.4 
20.6 
16.8 

34.9 
38.4 

22.7 
23.4 
25.0 
21.0 

25.0 
28.3 
28.9 
25.0 
20.0 



29.2 
20.0 
25.2 
20.0 

28.2 
15.0 
16.4 
24.9 
15.8 



Crude 
Protein 



Lbs. 
66.2 
36.7 
60.8 
50.1 

2.5 
1.4 
2.8 
4.4 
6.4 
3.0 
3.0 

7.1 

8.4 

11.5 

11.9 

10.6 

5.8 

11.1 

11.7 

6.7 

1.0 
0.7 
0.8 
0.6 
1.1 

2.8 
1.5 

1.7 
2.1 
2.6 
1.9 



0.8 



3.6 
1.9 
1.8 
3.1 
2.3 



Carbo- 

hy- 
drates 



Lbs. 

'sis 



34.6 
31.2 
42.4 
40.2 
44.9 
42.9 
42.0 

37.8 



39 
42, 
36 



40.9 
39.3 
39.1 
40.9 
42.2 



11.9 
11.6 

9.7 
11.6 

9.3 

19.7 
19.9 

12.0 
14.1 
11.0 
10.4 

13.7 
13.4 
15.9 
13.6 
11.0 



14.9 

9.1 

11.4 

8.4 

12.1 
6.6 
8.7 

11.0 
7.3 



54 



AVERAGE VALUE FEED STUFFS. 



NAME OF FEED 



Velvet Bean 

Canada Field Pea, in bud 

Barley and Vetch 

Barley and Peas 

Oats and Peas 

Roots and Tubers: 

Potato 

Common Beet 

Mangel 

Sugar Beet 

Fait Turnip 

Carrot 

Rutabaga 

Artichoke 

Sweet Potato 

Cassava 

Miscellaneous: 

Acorns 

Apples 

Cabbage 

Field Pumpkin 

Garden Pumpkin 

Purslane 






Lbs. 
17.8 
15.0 
20.0 
20.0 
20.3 

20.9 
11.5 

9.1 
13.5 

9.9 

11.4 
11.4 
20.5 
28.9 
34.0 



44.7 
22.2 
10.0 

9.1 
19.2 

9.0 



Digestible Nut- 
rients in 100 lbs. 



Crude 
Protein 



Lbs. 
2.7 
2.6 
2.1 
2.1 
1.8 

1.1 
1.2 
1.0 
1.3 
0.9 

0.8 
1.0 
1.3 
0.8 
0.8 



2.1 
0.8 
2.3 
1.0 
1.4 
2.0 



Carbo- 

hy- 
drates 



Lbs. 
8.4 
6.8 
6.5 
9.1 

10.2 

15.7 
7.9 
5.5 
9.8 
6.4 

7.7 

8.1 

14.7 

22.9 

28.9 



34.4 
16.5 
5.9 
5.8 
8.3 
4.5 



Fat 



Lbs. 
0.4 
0.3 
0.3 
0.4 
0.4 

0.1 
0.1 
0.2 
0.1 
0.1 

0.3 
0.2 
0.2 
0.3 
0.2 



1.7 
0.2 
0.1 
0.2 
0.4 
0.1 



FEEDING STUFFS CONTAINING BONE BUILDER 



NAME OF FEED 



Ash 
Per Cent. 



Wheat Bran 

Wheat Shorts and Bran 

Barley Feed 

Oat Feed 

Rice Meal 

Linseed Meal 

Tankage 

Fresh Bone 

Raw Ground Bone 

Red Clover Hay 

Cowpea Hay 

Alfalfa Hay 

Peanut Vine 

Soybean Hay 

Dried Beet Pulp 

Bakery Refuse 

55 



6.2 

5.6 

4.4 

5.3 

8.1 

5.5 

15.9 

22.8 

64.4 

6.2 

14.2 

10.6 

10.8 

7.0 

4.5 

10.1 



Definition of Feed Terms 

DRY MATTER— That portion of a feeding stuff 
which remains after all the water or moisture has 
been expelled by heat. 

DIGESTIBLE NUTRIENTS— That portion of 
the dry matter which can be digested by the animal 
and does not pass off through the bowels as excre- 
ment. Feeding stufif is of various degrees of digesti- 
bility — regardless of the composition. So you should 
keep this fact in mind, as the indigestible portion 
is of no value in producing results. 

PROTEIN— That part of the digestible nutrients 
which goes to the formation of lean meat, ligaments, 
bones, hair, skin and the casein (or curd) of milk. 
It is generally believed, also, that protein may be, 
and many times is, converted into the fat found in 
milk. The basis of protein is nitrogen, hence the 
protein elements are frequently termed the nitro- 
genous parts of the food. They are also called 
albuminoids. 

CARBOHYDRATES— That part of the digestible 
nutrients which is the primary source of sustaining 
animal heat and furnishing the energy for keeping 
the animal mechanism in operation. They are com- 
posed of the woody fiber of the plant and grain, 
and the starch, sugar, gums, etc., and in the pub- 
lished tables of chemical analyses, are usually sub- 
divided into the terms crude fiber, which is the least 
digestible portion of feeding stuffs, and nitrogen-free 
extract, so-called because it does not contain any 
nitrogen. 

ETHER EXTRACT— That portion of the digesti- 
ble nutrients which may be dissolved out of the 
food stuffs by ether. It is frequently called crude 
fat. It can be used by the animal for maintaining 
the body temperature, and for this purpose is from 
2.2 to 2.5 times more efficacious than the carbo- 
hydrates. It is maintained, by some, that the fat 
in the milk comes, largely, from the crude fat in 
the food, but it has been demonstrated that it is 
not absolutely necessary for this purpose. 

Sow's Loss of Teats 

The sow that loses one or two of her teats by 
failure to supply milk thru them by reason of 
spoiled udder is an injury that decreases her value 
for breeding purposes. Where you havs a very 
valuable sow as a breeder, it is quite a serious loss, 
if she has two or three dry teats. 

. ,; 56 



The teat that is destroyed of its natural func- 
tion of furnishing milk, most frequently occurs in 
the following manner : 

About farrowing time, by reason of too strong 
feeding, the sow's udder accumulates too much 
milk and the little pigs have more than they want 
at this time, while but a few days old, the milk 
thus remaining in the udder until it congests and 
inflammation sets in with fever, the udder becomes 
swollen, gathered and hard. 

The fever is accompanied with constipation gen- 
erally, which increases the trouble. Each teat is an 
outlet for the milk of its separate section of the 
udder and only this compartment of the udder is 
reached by this individual teat. If not relieved of 
this milk, it infects the cells of the udder and de- 
stroys their usefulness thereafter and the teat be- 
comes dry because of no supply of milk. 

Also the loss may occur by a sow having ten or 
twelve good teats to start with and only have a 
small litter, then a portion of the teats are not 
used by the suckling pigs, the milk in the udder 
sometimes dries up without injury, yet there is oc- 
casionally too much milk left, which forms a gath- 
ering and inflammation thus spoiling the teat and 
the loss of it permanently. Each pig usually has 
his ov/n teat, which he regularly applies to for his 
milk ration. 

Prevention is alwaj^s easier and therefore better 
than a cure. Cut down the feed ten days before 
due to farrow and watch for any enlarged udder 
before farrowing, feed lightly for ten days after 
farrowing so as not to force milk production greater 
than the pigs can use, after two weeks they can 
usually take care of all the sow can furnish on full 
feed. 

If the udder, or any teat section of it, shows 
signs of enlargement from too much milk before 
farrowing or afterwards, it should be milked out 
with the fingers. This is not easy and requires 
patience and should be milked gently so as to keep 
the sow quiet. She soon becomes aware that it 
relieves her and seemingly invites it. 

Placing hot water-soaked heavy bath towels that 
retain the heat, over the udder, will be helpful. 
Using water as hot as you can bear your hand in 
for bathing it and gently knead the udder with the 
hand, so as to decrease the hard matter and apply 
turpentine and vaseline. If she has young pigs, 
allow them to suckle so as to get all of the milk 
out possible. You can use acetate of lead, half an 
ounce ; tincture of arnica, two ounces ; water, one 
quart. Bathe three times daily with hot water and 

57 



apply the lotion after each bathing. Give from one 
to two ounces of Epsom salts ; follow this by giv- 
ing ten grains of nitrate of potassium in a little 
water three times a day. If matter should form 
when it breaks inject water into it to clean it out, 
then inject carbolic acid, one dram; water half a 
pint. Clean the parts out twice a day with a little 
of this, if the parts become hard or caked, rub on 
iodine one dram and vaseline, one ounce. Do this 
twice a week until the part becomes soft or the 
hardness disappears. 

There are exceptional cases where sows have, at 
time of farrow, one or more what are termed "blind 
teats." These are small without any show of an 
udder connected with them, while the balance of 
the teats may be all right. It is claimed that a sow 
inherits them. We have articles from other vet- 
eran, successful, experienced breeders in this issue 
on this line, which will be well for joung breeders 
to study carefully and use their own intelligence in 
applying to the cases that they may have to deal 
with. 

Proper Age to Breed Gilts 

This question is asked quite frequently by young 
breeders and sometimes by men who have been in 
the business quite a while. Perhaps every breeder 
has his opinion, but some of them do not always 
carry out their belief. It has been well determined 
that a gilt bred at about one year old or a little 
later is more apt to do better and to raise larger 
litters, especially without injury to her own growth 
than if bred earlier. In an article in the December 
issue of the Swineherd a big type breeder states that 
he was of the opinion that breeding gilts too young 
was very largely the cause of decreasing the size of 
the litters, that he had never had any trouble in 
having large litters with both medium and the big 
type Poland-Chinas, but his gilts were always over 
a year old before breeding them. We give you the 
following from Ed. Klever, in reference to breeding 
gilts, which should be of benefit to every breeder, 
as he has had forty years of experience and is a 
close observer of results : 

"The above question has been referred to me for 
answer by the editor, and I will say from my ex- 
perience and observation of a good many years in the 
breeding business that the proper age to breed 
Poland-China gilts is when 11 or 12 months of age. 
They certainly should not be bred before they are 
this old for the best results of litter and the gilt. 
Yet many breeders breed them at 9 to 10 months 

58 



of age, but very few will justify or approve of too 
early breeding. When bred at 9 to 10 months of 
age they will farrow at a little over a year old. 
Some of our very best brood sows have been bred 
at 9 and 10 months. But when we breed them at 
that age and raise spring litters of pigs we should 
keep them in good, strong breeding flesh, and after 
the litter is weaned we always continue to grow the 
sow until time to breed her again in the fall. 

"Don't turn a gilt out with a lot of old sows after 
raising her first litter. She will fare badly and get 
nothing but cuffs from the old sows when she ought 
to be well cared for and thereby take on growth. 
It is not necessary that she should be fattened, but 
it is that she should be grown. It requires good 
feeding to do this to keep her in good, strong, full, 
smooth flesh. Then she will also be able to raise a 
large litter and be at her best as a brood sow. 

"Therefore, I conclude that for the best purposes, 
taking into consideration the litter and gilt's indi- 
vidual improvement, that she should be bred at 11 
or 12 months old, generally speaking. This should 
be the rule, and if the exception is made of younger 
breeding, the very best care should be given to in- 
sure success." 

Feeding Pigs Just Farrowed 

Frequently it occurs that for some reason little 
pigs just farrowed are deprived of milk from the 
mother, sometimes by her death, other times because 
she has no milk to give them, without which they 
would soon starve unless fed. 

An easy way of feeding is to take a shallow tin 
plate, pour fresh cow's milk a half inch deep ; the 
little pigs will push their nose against the bottom 
of the plate and suck up the milk. If it was a 
couple of inches deep they could not breathe and 
would soon choke up. It is the best plan of feeding 
them with a shallow plate when so young. If you 
have a sow that is just suckling pigs about the same 
age you can sometimes put them to her as foster 
mother. 

Best Bone-Making Feed 

Wheat bran, wheat feed (shorts and bran), oat 
feed, including hulls, are leaders as bone builders. 
Rice bran, rice meal, soy bean, linseed cake meal, 
molasses beet pulp, dry blood, tankage, alfalfa hay 
and clover hay are also good, while raw ground 
bone or meat and bone meal are the two highest. 

59 



Peanut vine without nuts is on a par with cowpea 
and alfalfa. This will give parties an opportunity 
of making selections to increase the bone-making 
material and will show that for cheapness alfalfa 
and clover hay or cowpea vine and peanut vine are 
among the cheapest of the bone-making feeds. 

The brood sow needs to grow a strong and healthy 
litter. Protein and ash should therefore be promi- 
nent factors in her feed ; young ones require a higher 
proportion of this substance than old ones. A sole 
corn diet lacks in protein and ash and for that 
reason tends toward small litters and weak-boned 
pigs. As before suggested one-half to two-thirds of 
the ration may consist of alfalfa or other legume 
hay. A ration found successful is one-half alfalfa 
hay (third cutting), one-half grain made up of six 
parts barley, three parts shorts and one part tankage. 

The Feeder 

The responsibility for the outcome of the pig crop 
rests very largely with the feeder. The farmer or 
breeder who buys a good sow bred to a great boar 
and then neglects to give proper care and attention 
to feeding and developing his pigs is wasting money. 
Too many farmers have an idea that the hog must 
rustle for himself; while we appreciate a good rustler 
and hustler, it is necessary to guide and provide feed 
to enable the best, greatest and most profitable de- 
velopments. 

To show you that it is a loss of good work and 
money to buy choice stock and then virtually desert 
it, is just the same as buying a good farm and then 
neglecting it. The good, enterprising, thinking 
farmer who is both progressive and aggressive not 
only maintains his farm, but builds it up, increases 
its ability to produce, making it more valuable and 
more profitable all the time. This is in compliance 
with nature's laws, progress, growth, improvement. 
It takes work to do this, but when you put your 
mind into it and your interests are served thereby, 
work is really a pleasure. 

To show the difference in treatment and feeding we 
call attention to the photographic views of the two 
pigs of the same litter, one fed by an aggressive, 
progressive, ambitious boy, who had the seed of 
enterprise planted in him by the suggestions of his 
teacher, and who has shown his father the way to 
do it. He has not done this with costly feeds, but 
with plain, profitable feeds, and the result is so em- 
phatic that no man can help realizing its value. 

60 



This is a day of intense farming, and intense feed- 
ing is a member of the family. The limits of im- 
provement are the limits of your achievements. They 
virtually have no limit if you have none. When we 
look at vi^hat Edison has done by thought in his line, 
and Burbank in his line, it shows that the young 
farmer can have just as great a future as he chooses 
to make. The man who does not give his pigs the 
care and thus produce the development and the good 
results should not be engaged in the breeding busi- 
ness. He should be only too glad to accept the 
superior results that others have obtained and fol- 
low instead of lead. One of the necessary things to 
start on the right road should be the brain. Get 
it to working and thinking. The thinking farmer 
will be the successful one. Of course it is necessary 
to not only have fine spun theories, but keep the 
mind going in a practical way, step by step, until 
you have accomplished your dream of better things. 

A half century ago the human race in the large 
cities in many countries and even in our own coun- 
try were subject to dreadful contagious diseases and 
plagues, but today they are handled with sanitary 
rules and requirements that have cut down the losses 
to the minimum. Nothing shows this more com- 
pletely than the city of Havana, a disease breeding, 
infected city, where it was dangerous to life during 
nine months of the year until the United States army 
took possession of the city and made it a model of 
cleanliness and as healthy as other cities, showing 
the benefits of observing sanitary measures. 

For the health of the hogs, sanitary rules must be 
better observed. First, we must have strong con- 
stitutioned hogs, which we can have by better feeding. 
Next, we must have their houses and lots properly 
cleansed and air slacked lime under the troughs, 
around the corners and throughout them. They must 
be supplied with pure water and clean feed, then 
the condition of their bowels should be watched with 
closeness, for constipation is the beginning of trou- 
ble. Don't permit it. Give laxative food, good pas- 
tures, careful feeding, and never make a sudden 
radical change of food ; do it gradually and it will 
be for best results for the health of your hogs. 

It pays to take the best of care. This progressive 
era in farming demands intense farming and feeding. 

Revolution in Hog Feeding 

The benefit derived from feeding brood sows al- 
falfa or clover hay is the greatest evolution in hog 
feeding that has occurred in many years. It must 

61 



prove worth many thousands of dollars to the farm- 
ers of the United States. 

Those who are unacquainted with the advantages 
realized by the brood sow and litter from feeding 
two-thirds of the ration in alfalfa or clover hay, cut 
at the right time to contain the best strength in the 
leaves, are dumbfounded when they are shown the 
results. It is almost impossible for them to believe 
that such could be the case. 

The sow does exceptionally well, while the im- 
farrowed litter of pigs that are being developed are 
of strong constitution, average large number to the 
litter and are apparently a week to ten days old 
when farrowed, compared with pigs from sows that 
have had mostly a corn diet. 

We believe that nothing in the feed line within 
the last twenty years is as important as the discovery 
of the value of alfalfa and clover hay as a feed for 
brood sows. It opens a new era not only as to the 
worth and the strength of the animals but the cheap- 
ness of maintaining and feeding compared with a 
concentrated corn feed. The methods of feeding 
are given in this book. It may be fed when ground 
into a meal and mi.xed with other feed, or run 
through a cutter and wet with water, or as hay. 
Hogs will soon learn to eat it out of the rack. It 
gives added values to alfalfa and clover as hog feed. 
Its importance is on a par with silage for cows. 

Difficult Farrowing 

If the sow has been kept in proper condition with 
laxative food there should be no trouble in farrow- 
ing. However, there are times when a case of dif- 
ficult farrowing comes up from a sow that is out 
of condition. At other times from a gilt, because 
of her close build, rendering forceps necessary to 
remove the litter. Then you want them badly. 




Thousands of breeders in all parts of the country 
have tested and used the "Barbers Pig and Lamb 
Forceps" with the greatest of success. In many cases 
they have been successful after trying six to nine 
different kinds, and when the sow is in the last 
agony, have secured a pair of Barbers and relieved 
her. They are therefore recognized as superior 
to all. They can always be had at $1.50 a pair 
sent postage paid by addressing, American Swine- 
herd, Chicago, 111. 

62 



How to Grow an 800-lb. Sow 

This matter of growing- an 800-lb. sow is a much 
simpler affair today than it was five years ago. At 
that time an 800-lb. sow was almost a novelty be- 
cause a comparatively small number of Big Type 
were being bred and grown. Now everyone has 
them, no matter what stock they are from or what 
they would really weigh on the scales. It's our 
experience that they are much more rare than a 
parson would think at first. But there is a lot of 
them and they are not all in one place or one com- 
munity either. 

Now our experience has taught us to get a gilt 
that will weig:h 800 lbs. at maturity, she must have 
that kind of a mother and a sire that is really in the 
1,000-pound scale class. Also, she must have a lot of 
tiiem in the second, third and fourth or fifth crosses, 
or as far back as you want to g^o. 

Pick your gilt with a g^ood broad head and rather 
heavy ear. Don't be particular that she has a heavy 
full crest, but be sure she has a good strong back 
with a fairly well sprung rib, but not so she looks 
as broad as she is long. That kind can't get past 
500 pounds no matter how hard they try. Get a 
fairly low ham and a good, strong middle and heart 
girth. Now give her plenty of length. Not good 
length but exceptional length. And then put her up 
in the air so high she looks a little stilty. You can 
feed any of them to the ground, but you have to 
breed them up into the air. Have a bone that is 
considerably lieavier than looks pietty on that sized 
gilt. Have a g^ood, strong pastern joint as short as 
possible. But don't expect a half-inch pastern on a 
14-inch leg. Have a good coat of hair just a little 
coarse and if she has a few stray spots it won't 
make her a bit smaller, although it won't make her 
any larger, either. 

Now take this gilt and put her with twenty-five 
others if you want to. That kind don't need babying 
or pampering or new milk. They will take care of 
themselves. Give this gilt all the whole oats she 
will eat at all times if you want the greatest 
growth. Keep her on good pasture in the suminer 
and feed alfalfa in some form in the winter if you 
can. Make her slop ration of wheat middlings 8 
parts, oat middlings 8 parts, tankage 1 part, and oil 
meal 1 part. Give her corn if you are in a corn 
country. What good would hogs be to our grain 
belt farmer if they can't eat corn without hurting 
them. But don't make her feed all corn. Don't 
overfeed at any time and don't let lier stop growing, 
but don't make her grow over one pound or a little 
better each day. When this sow is twelve or thir- 
teen months old she should farrow her first litter 
and with proper care should raise two litters each 
year and keep growing all the time. This means a 
judicious and liberal cross of the feed basket. 

So pick your gilt with good stretch and bone. 
Give us that and a good back and good legs and 
we'll make a hog- out of her. Feed her growing 
rations without fattening. Give a dry warm place 
to sleep in and g:ood pasture to exercise in and if 
she has the stuff in her pedigree she will weigli 800 
pounds at three years old, at least seventy-five 
times out of one hundred. But remember, you can't 
get big harvests if you plant inferior seed. And also 
remember, the demand for good seed is always such 
that it takes a nice little pile of money to get very 
much of it. But it pays. Look at the sow and not 
your pocketbook and your pocketbook will look 
better in the future. When a breeder once sees an 
800-pound sow he is never satisfied until he owns one. 

63 



INDEX 

Page 

Alfalfa 12 

Balanced Ration 10 

Best Bone Making Feed 59 

Bone Making Feed 10 

Breeder's Method, by Cassell 48 

Brood Sow, by Dorr 23 

Brood Sow, by Keller 45 

Brood Sow, by Marker 26 

Brood Sow, by Mugg 39 

Brood Sow, by Sef rit 50 

Brood Sow, by Williams 34 

Brood Sow Pointers 44 

Brood Sow, the Mortgage Lifter 2 

Brood Sows, Eating Alfalfa Hay 14 

Changing Feed 18 

Comparison of Farm Animals 19 

Danger Signals 15 

Definition of Feed Terms 56 

Difficult Farrowing 62 

Easy Farrow 43 

Feed Value Tables 53, 54, 55 

Feeder 60 

Feeding Pigs Just Farrowed 59 

Handling Sow After Breeding 7 

Hog House, by James 30 

Improvement in Hog Business 1 

Individual Sow House, by Lovejo}- 28 

Milk in Feed 20 

Money in Water 20 

Non-Breeding Sow Treatment 41 

Overfeeding the Sow 9 

Paralysis 22 

Prolificacy 3 

Proper Age to Breed Gilts, by Klever 58 

Revolution in Hog Feeding , 62 

Sows Disowning Pigs 19 

Sow's Loss of Teats 56 

Treatment for Aborting Sows 42 

Winn's Show Pigs 28 

Winter Temperature for Pigs 28 



64 



Make More Money With Hogs 

This largely involves the feed question, as feed 
is the principal cost of producing pork. It is not 
only what to feed, but how to feed, to enable the 
feeder to get the most- out of hogs, in the quickest 
time, at least cost. 

It is a proven fact, two or more feeds, properly 
combined, are better than any one of the same fed 
singly. The general farmer, without knowing it, 
wastes one-fourth of the feed given his hogs, 
which is a total loss. This is where the balanced 
ration comes to the relief of the wise feeder. It is 
not what the pig eats, but what he digests and 
assimilates, that makes the profits. 

Expert feeding means success. It teaches you 
how to cheapen the feed, how to get greater 
growth and gain over the common way of feeding, 
from the same feed given, and how to get more 
pounds of pork from a bushel of corn. 

The AMERICAN SWINEHERD is progressive 
and aggressive. It instructs you in the wisdom 
gathered by experience from the greatest experts 
in their line, being successful, practical feeders, 
managers and caretakers of the herd. It is a 
specialist in producing pork from pighood to the 
pork market. This is the era of advancement and 
adoption of up-to-date, scientific methods in the 
hog business. There is a new crop of experience 
grown monthly. 

The American Swineherd was founded 34 years 
ago by the present editor. We have subscribers 
who have taken the paper for over 25 years. 
Hundreds of them on renewing say: "Do not let 
us miss a copy." One party writes: "I found 
information out of a single sample copy, that, put 
to practice, saved me more than the cost of your 
paper for 10 years." No matter how many papers 
you take, you need the money making information 
the Swineherd gives you. Another party writes: 
"I believe the Swineherd the most valuable publi- 
cation on our list, which includes 16 of the best, 
dealing with all branches of stock raising, dairying 
and farming." 

SPECIAL OFFER: For $1.00 we will mail you 
the American Swineherd for two years. This is 
the cheapest expert help you can hire. It pays 
and is economy to take advantage of the experi- 
ence that brought the other fellow success. 

We will also give you as a premium, a copy of 
the "Hog Doctor," 68-page book of home remedies. 
Address, 

AMERICAN SWINEHERD 
Old Colony Bldg. Chicago, Illinois. 



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